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(DIE  JJEUHKI 

KING  OF  POLAND 


The  Life -Story  and  Personal 
Reminiscences 


OF 


COL.  JOHN  §OBIESKI 

(A   LINEAL   DESCENDANT  OF   KING  JOHN    III,   OF   POLAND) 


WRITTEN  BY  HIMSELF 


TO  WHICH   IS  ADDED  HIS  POPULAR  LECTURE 

THE  REPUBLIC  OF  POLAND' 

^SECOND  EDITION) 


WITH   ILLUSTRATIONS 


PUBLISHER 

L.   G.   SOBIESKI 

Los  ANGELES,  CAL. 


Copyrighted 

by 
JOHN  SOBIESKI 


Lf 


JAN.  24.1938 


DEDICATION. 

To  my  comrades  in  the  United  States  Army, 
who  served  with  me  in  behalf  of  national  unity;  to 
my  comrades  who  served  with  me  in  Mexico  in 
defense  of  that  republic;  and  to  those  noble  men 
and  women  with  whom  I  have  for  more  than  thirty 
years  labored  in  behalf  of  the  temperance  and  other 
reforms,  this  volume  is  dedicated. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  late  Dr.  Benjamin  Jowett  of  the  University 
of  Oxford  once  said:  ''We  shall  come  in  the  future 
to  teach  almost  entirely  by  biography.  We  shall 
begin  with  the  life  that  is  most  familiar  to  us,  the 
life  of  Christ,  and  we  shall  more  and  more  put 
before  our  children  the  great  examples  of  persons' 
lives,  so  that  they  shall  have  from  the  beginning 
heroes  and  friends  in  their  thoughts." 

All  intelligent  adults  in  recalling  the  things 
that  most  influenced  their  early  lives  will  appreci- 
ate the  wisdom  of  Dr.  Jowett's  prophecy.  Multi- 
tudes of  the  wisest  and  best  will  testify  that  their 
first  ambition  for  a  noble  life  began  with  reading 
the  life-story  of  some  good  man  or  woman. 

What  a  quickening  to  faith  and  what  an  inspira- 
tion to  righteous  endeavor  is  that  account  in  the 
eleventh  chapter  of  Hebrews,  of  the  "great  cloud 
of  witnesses"  (martyrs  "of  whom  the  world  was 
not  worthy  ")  "who  through  faith  subdued  king- 
doms, wrought  righteousness,  *  *  stopped  the 
mouths  of  lions,  waxed  valiant  in  fight,"  etc.,  etc.! 

"  The  glorious  company  of  the  Apostles." 

"The  goodly  fellowship  of  the  Prophets." 

"The  noble  army  of  Martyrs." 

It  is  the  life  and  example  of  such  that  move 
the  world. 


vi  Introduction. 

Many  millions  of  people  all  over  Christendom 
have  been  thrilled  with  admiration  and  moved  to 
thank  God  and  take  courage  at  the  story  of  the 
Polish  patriot  and  Christian  soldier,  King  John 
Sobieski,  who  in  a  mighty  battle  at  the  gates  of 
Vienna  (  A.  D.  1683)  rescued  Christendom  from 
the  terrible  Moslem  invasion.  "That  hero's 
victory,  with  his  little  army  of  Poles  against  ten 
times  the  number  of  Turks,"  says  an  English  his- 
torian, "caused  all  Europe  to  ring  with  the  praise 
of  John  Sobieski  and  echo  the  words  chosen  by 
Pope  Innocent  for  his  text  when  the  great  news 
reached  Rome:  'There  was  a  man  sent  from  God, 
whose  name  was  John'  (John  1:6).  For  Sobieski 
had  not  merely  delivered  Austria — he  had  saved 
Europe." 

And  then  again,  how  our  youthful  hearts  have 
been  stirred  with  righteous  wrath  against  the 
oppressor,  and  warm  sympathy  with  the  oppressed, 
as  we  have  read  in  our  school-books  of  the  down- 
fall of  the  Polish  Republic,  and  the  cruel  partition 
of  that  country  by  the  three  great  powers,  Prussia, 
Russia,  and  Austria — this  last  named  being  the 
same  country  that  Poland's  brave  little  army  had 
delivered  from  Turkish  pillage  and  slaughter. 

"  Oh,  bloodiest  picture  in  the  book  of  time  ! 
*  *  *  *  *  * 

Hope,  fora  season,  bade   the  world  farewell, 
And  Freedom  shrieked  as  Kosciusko  fell." 


Introduction.  vii 

More  than  fifty  years  after  that  "  Battle  of 
Warsaw"  (1794)  which  Campbell  celebrates  in 
verse,  in  another  heroic  effort  for  Polish  freedom, 
Count  James  Sobieski,  the  lineal  descendant  of 
King  John  III.,  fell  as  Kosciusko  and  others  had 
fallen.  That  James  left  an  only  child,  a  son  six 
years  old,  named  John,  for  his  grandfathers.  This 
son,  with  an  inborn  enthusiasm  for  liberty,  having 
heard  of  free  America,  soon  after  his  father's  death 
found  his  way  to  this  country.  And  here  he  has 
been  for  forty-five  years,  giving  himself  entirely  to 
patriotic  and  humane  service:  for  the  first  ten 
years  in  the  regular  United  States  army  and 
through  many  battles;  then  for  two  years  helping 
Mexico  to  a  republic ;  and  since  then  as  an  American 
citizen  he  has  spent  his  time  in  the  halls  of  legisla- 
tion and  the  field  of  reform  endeavoring  to  rescue 
the  weak  and  tempted  and  protect  the  home  from 
the  drink  demon. 

In  these  pages  is  given  for  the  first  time  the 
life-story  of  this  very  worthy  son  of  Poland's 
patriot  kings  and  defenders — a  son  who,  if  that 
people  were  free  to  choose,  might  to-day  be  ruler 
of  a  Polish  Republic. 

(Perhaps  it  ought  to  be  said,  that  while  the 
author  of  this  book  has  especially  requested  me  to 
give  this  introduction,  yet  he  has  not  been  consulted 
as  to  what  I  shall  say  about  him  here,  and  will  not 


vili  Introduction. 

read  this  till  he  sees  it  in  book  form.  If  there  be 
errors  in  it,  I  alone  am  responsible.) 

A  most  unassuming  man,  it  was  only  by  much 
importunity  that  Colonel  John  Sobieski's  friends 
prevailed  upon  him  to  dictate  his  life- story  for  pub- 
lication. In  fact,  it  was  a  long  time  before  his  most 
intimate  acquaintances  learned  many  of  the  facts 
in  his  life  that  seem  stranger  than  fiction.  The 
shrewd  newspaper  reporter  did  not  learn  of  his 
royal  lineage  till  within  recent  years,  so  that  dur- 
ing the  past  twelve  months  for  the  first  time  the 
great  dailies  and  some  magazines  have  published 
sketches  of  this  "royal  Polish  patriot,  famed  as  a 
soldier  and  statesman."  Always  in  love  with 
democracy  and  free  government,  and  imbued 
with  hatred  of  the  idea  of  aristocracy  and  a  titled 
nobility,  in  his  earlier  years  he  held  it  no  credit  in 
itself  to  be  of  kingly  lineage,  and  kept  the  fact  to 
himself.  In  Europe  to-day  the  renowned  family  of 
Sobieski  is  thought  to  be  extinct;  because,  from 
the  time  this  sole  surviving  member,  when  a  twelve- 
year-old  boy,  secreted  himself  in  the  hold  of  a 
vessel  bound  for  America,  nothing  has  been  heard 
of  him. 

But  "blood  will  tell."  All  of  Colonel  John 
Sobieski's  acquaintances  who  have  read  the  story 
of  King  John  III.  in  the  book  entitled  "The 
Wizard  King"  (now  out  of  print),  recognize  a 
marked  resemblance  in  many  particulars. 


Introduction.  ix 

Though  Colonel  Sobieski  never  sat  in  the 
schoolroom  a  day  in  his  life,  and  never  was  trained 
and  taught  as  were  his  fathers,  except  by  his 
mother  before  her  early  death,  yet  he  betrays  a 
nobly  cultured  ancestry.  This  is  evident  in  a 
splendid  physique,  in  rare  gifts  of  mind,  and  in 
most  courteous  bearing  and  high  moral  character. 
He  is  well  educated  in  the  truest  and  best  sense. 
True,  he  lacks  much  that  he  might  have  learned  in 
our  common  schools,  and  at  Oxford  or  Harvard; 
and  none  more  regrets  this  than  he.  Never- 
theless, he  has  been  an  intelligent  observer  and 
an  extensive  reader  all  his  life  (though  he  hardly 
knows  how  he  learned  to  read),  and  as  necessity 
arose  learned  to  talk  in  several  different  tongues, 
though  doubtless  not  always  according  to  the  dic- 
tionaries and  grammars.  But,  as  a  wise  and 
scholarly  critic  has  recently  remarked  in  refer- 
ring to  the  late  Evangelist  Moody:  "Grammatical 
and  rhetorical  niceties  are  not  the  final  test  of 
intellectual  greatness  and  genuine  culture." 

The  story  in  the  following  chapters  is  printed, 
with  very  few  and  slight  changes,  just  as  it  was 
dictated  to  an  amanuensis  by  the  author;  and 
dictated,  too,  within  a  month,  wholly  from  memory, 
and  with  scarcely  any  reference  to  books. 

Colonel  Sobieski  is  an  ideal  orator.  He  simply 
"talks  right  on."  He  has  never  written  a  line 
of  any  of  his  numerous  lectures  and  addresses, 


x  Introduction. 

and  makes  no  written  notes  in  preparing  them — 
a  most  remarkable  fact  for  one  who  has  been  so 
constantly  on  the  platform.  He  is  ready  at  a 
moment's  notice  to  give  a  speech  or  talk  on 
any  subject  with  which  he  is  familiar.  For  instance, 
a  friend  asked  for  a  copy  of  a  lecture  that  Colonel 
Sobieski  had  not  delivered  for  ten  years.  He  com- 
plied with  the  request  by  dictating  the  address 
exactly  as  delivered,  though  he  had  come  to  have 
different  views  since  that  time.  He  is  not  a  one- 
ideaed  man.  He  is  continually  surprising  his  inti- 
mate friends  by  his  varied  repertoire.  He  is  ready, 
seemingly,  at  any  time,  to  preach  a  sermon,  conduct 
a  funeral  service,  deliver  a  patriotic  address,  a 
Biblical  or  historical  lecture,  or  make  a  stump 
speech, — and  do  it  well, — always  stopping  when  his 
auditors  are  saying  "Go  on."  And  what  a  fund  of 
fact,  and  fresh  stories !  But  don't  ask  him  to  tell 
"that  story."  Ten  to  one  he  will  not.  It  must 
tell  itself,  as  it  were,  when  ;he  wishes  to  illustrate 
a  point. 

He  stands  almost  alone  in  being  so  very  radical 
and  outspoken  in  his  convictions  for  reform,  and 
yet  so  popular  with  people  of  all  classes  and  parties. 
The  reason  of  this  popularity  is  that  his  natural 
kindness  is  always  kindly  expressed,  and  he  habit- 
ually stands  for  fair  play  to  everybody.  Generous 
even  to  his  own  hurt, — he  can  hardly  say  no  to  a 
call  for  charity, — yet  he  is  always  strictly  honest,  and 


Introduction.  xi 

faithful  to  promises.  Once  when  an  organization 
of  which  he  was  a  member  got  so  embarrassed 
financially  that  a  majority  advised  repudiation, 
"Brother  John"  rose  in  his  might  with  a  thundering 
"No  ;"  (for,  though  habitually  gentle,  he  speaks 
with  mighty  emphasis  on  occasion).  "Give  me 
two  years'  time,"  said  he,  "and  I'll  raise  that  money 
(about  $8,000)  myself  rather  than  have  a  good 
cause  disgraced  by  repudiating  a  just  debt." 

And  he  did  it,  though  he  impoverished  himself 
in  the  doing.  It  was  just  like  him. 

For  habitual  buoyancy  of  spirit,  and  for  always 
seeing  the  roses  rather  than  the  thorns  in  life's 
pathway,  his  friends  say  they  have  never  known 
his  equal.  He  is  the  only  man  the  writer  ever 
heard  say  that  he  never  had  "the  blues,"  though 
he  often  suffers  excruciating  pain  from  that  bullet- 
shot  through  his  body  and  stomach — a  wound  that 
the  army  surgeons  pronounced  mortal  at  the  time. 
And  yet,  since  then  he  has  traveled  more  miles,  and 
delivered  more  lectures  to  more  people,  than  any 
one  now  living  in  America;  but  he  says  he  never 
was  weary  from  a  day's  work,  though  he  has  often 
been  very  sleepy  and  hungry. 

Although  he  richly  deserves  a  pension,  he  has 
never  applied  for  it.  Why  not?  Because,  he 
says,  the  government  has  already  too  many  pen- 
sioners, and  he  prefers  to  take  care  of  himself  as 
long  as  he  can.  Here  is  a  man  who  might  have 


xii  Introduction. 

been  a  millionaire  since  coming  to  America,  but 
he  has  deliberately  chosen  to  be  as  poor  in  this 
world's  goods  as  the  great  Master  he  loves  to 
follow.  He  was  frequently  offered  promotion  in 
the  United  States  army,  for  brave  and  meritorious 
conduct,  but  he  declined.  He  was  offered  choice 
of  any  position  with  commission  in  the  Mexican 
army,  but  he  preferred  to  be  simply  chief  of  staff 
of  the  commanding  general,  Escobedo.  And  after 
he  had  helped  lead  the  army  of  that  republic  to 
victory,  the  Mexican  government,  to  show  its 
gratitude  for  his  splendid  service,  tendered  him  a 
tract  of  several  thousand  acres  of  land;  but  he 
would  accept  no  compensation  whatever,  and 
returned  to  his  adopted  country  to  spend  his  life 
in  pleading  for  purer  morals  and  juster  laws. 

What  an  inspiring  example  of  unselfish  devo- 
tion to  the  highest  interests  of  country  and  mankind! 
What  a  harvest  of  good  seed  sown!  And  what  a 
blessed  reward,  even  in  this  life !  So  that  he  may 
well  say,  as  he  does,  that  he  would  be  happy  to 
live  his  years  over  again  just  as  he  has  lived  them. 

While  this  Polish-American  soldier  lay  bleed- 
ing on  the  field  of  Gettysburg,  the  surgeon  said  he 
must  die,  and  kindly  advised  him  to  make  his  peace 
with  God.  "I've  had  no  fuss  with  God,"  was  the 
ready  reply,  in  the  best  English  the  young  count 
knew. 


Introduction.  xiii 

Always  at  peace  with  his  Creator,  ready  to 
serve  and  suffer  for  the  lowliest,  tender  to  little 
children,  kind  to  dumb  animals,  and  courteous  to 
every  human  being — 

"  He  wears  the  look  of  a  man  unbought, 
^  %  %.  ^  ^          %. 

Yet  touched  and  softened  nevertheless 
With  the  grace  of  Christian  gentleness ; 
The  face  that  a  child  would  climb  to  kiss ; 
True  and  tender  and  brave  and  just, 
That  man  might  honor  and  woman  trust." 

J.   L.    D. 
SHELBYVILLE,   ILLINOIS,  February  10,  1900. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

King  John  Sobieski Frontispiece 

Colonel  John   Sobieski 1 

Colonel   Sobieski's   Family 17 

Mrs.   John  Sobieski 33 

Mary  and  John  Sobieski Go 

Mary    Sobieski  (at  age  of  sixteen)     97 

Mary    Sobieski  (at  age  of  twenty) 113 

Louie  S.  Gilhousen 129 

Mrs.  M.  P.  Lemen 161 

Rev.  J.  G.  Lemen 193 

Col.  Frank  J.  Sibley    225 

Mrs.  Charlton  Edholm  Sib]ey    241 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  1 1 

My  birth — Descendant  of  King  John  Sobieski — My 
ancestors — Father  joins  the  Revolution — Captured 
and  imprisoned — His  death — My  mother's  summons 
to  Warsaw — Her  interview  with  the  viceroy — Her 
refusal  of  the  proposition  of  the  viceroy — Our  ban- 
ishment. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Banished — Journey  to  the  frontier — Refusal  of  the 
Austrian  authorities  to  let  us  land — Go  to  Posen — Or- 
dered out  by  the  Prussian  authorities — Go  to  Brussels, 
Berne,  Milan — Expulsion  from  Milan — The  case  of 
Captain  Ingraham — Arrival  in  England — Louis  Kos- 
suth  and  Hungary — My  uncle  Joseph  Bern — My 
pledge  to  my  mother  on  her  death -bed — My  parents 
Mv  mother's  death. 


CHAPTER  III. 


My  voyage  to  America — Arrival  in  America — Enter 
the  United  States  army — Barracks  at  Carlisle,  Penn- 
sylvania— Jefferson  barracks,  St.  Louis — Sent  to  Fort 
Leavensworth  to  join  the  Utah  expedition  under  Gen- 
eral Albert  Sidney  Johnston — Our  journey  across  the 
plains — Fort  Bridger — The  Mormons — Ordered  to 
New  Mexico — War  with  the  Apaches — Return  to 
Fort  Fillmore,  1860. 

CHAPTER  IV 38 

Second  enlistment — Ordered  to  Fort  Leavenworth 
News  of  Lincoln's  election — Ordered  East  with 
Lieutenant  Armistead  on  recuiting  service — Brook- 
lyn, New  York — Dr.  Van  Dyke's  great  sermon  in 
defense  of  slavery — Hear  Henry  Ward  Beecher  reply 
— Hear  Wendell  Phillips  on  John  Brown's  death — 
Ordered  to  Washington — Closing  scenes  in  American 
Congress  before  Lincoln's  inauguration — Inaugu- 
ration of  Mr.  Lincoln — Beginning  of  the  Civil  War. 

xv 


Contents 


CHAPTER  V 52 

Washington  after  the  surrender  of  Fort  Sumter — 
Manifestation  everywhere  of  Southern  sympathy — 
Entrance  of  Northern  troops — Change  of  public  sen- 
timent— Gathering  of  the  Union  army — Organizing 
the  army — Marching  into  Virginia — Battle  of  Bull 
Run — Our  defeat — Retreat  to  Washington — Demor- 
alization of  the  army  and  people. 

CHAPTER  VI 59 

Arrival  of  General  McClellan  at  Washington — Bring- 
ing order  out  of  chaos — Preparation  for  the  defense 
of  the  city — Complete  defensive  works  erected  about 
the  city — Lincoln  calls  for  five  hundred  thousand 
men — General  McClellan  made  the  commander-in 
chief  of  the  army — Organization  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac — Peninsular  Campaign — Our  arrival  at 
Fortress  Monroe — Battle  between  the  Monitor  and 
the  Merrimac. 


CHAPTER  VII 68 

Capture  of  Norfolk — Destruction  of  the  Merrimac — 
Siege  of  Yorktown — Battle  of  Williamsburg — Our 
sojourn  in  the  Chickahominy  swamps — Battle  of 
Fair  Oaks — Seven  days'  battle  in  front  of  Richmond 
— Our  retreat  to  Harrison's  Landing. 

CHAPTER  VIII 74 

The  army  at  Harrison's  Landing — Our  corps  ordered 
to  re-enforce  Pope — Defeat — McClellan  again  in  com- 
mand— March  into  Maryland — Battle  of  South 
Mountain — Battle  of  Antietam — McClellan  removed 
— Burnside  in  command — Battle  of  Fredericksburg. 

CHAPTER  IX 91 

March  again — Stuck  in  the  mud — General  Burnside 
superseded  by  General  Hooker — Reorganization  of 
the  army — Advance  again  on  the  foe — Battle  of 
Chancellorsville — Charge  of  the  Eighth  Pennsylvania 
— Our  defeat — Discouragement. 

'xvi 


Contents 


CHAPTER  X 96 

The  death  of  Stonewall  Jackson,  and  its  effect  on  the 
Confederate  army — Lee's  march  into  the  North — 
We  follow  him — Arrival  on  the  field  of  Gettysburg — 
The  Battle — Thrilling  description  of  Pickett's  charge 
Wounded — A  faithful  comrade — Taken  to  the  hospi- 
tal for  the  mortally  wounded,  near  Hagerstown — 
Taken  to  the  hospital  at  Washington — Rapid  recovery 
— Rejoin  my  company — Ordered  before  Casey's  ex- 
amining board — Commissioned  colonel  of  a  colored 
regiment — My  declination — Rejoin  my  company — 
Crossing  the  Rapidan — Retreat — Winter  quarters 

CHAPTER  XI 110 

Reorganization  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac — Pre- 
paration for  the  campaign  of  1864 — Grant  visits  us — 
Opening  of  the  campaign — Battle  of  the  Wilderness 
Terrible  slaughter — Changing  of  our  base  to  Peters- 
burg— Siege  of  Petersburg  begun. 

CHAPTER  XII ,      115 

Interest  in  the  struggle  for  liberty  in  Mexico — Inter- 
view with  the  Mexican  minister,  Romero — Com- 
mission to  raise  men  to  go  to  Mexico — Take  a  vaca- 
tion for  a  couple  of  months — Go  to  New  Orleans — In- 
formed by  the  United  States  authorities  that  we  will 
be  arrested  if  we  proceed  to  Mexico — Arrested — Dis- 
charged on  parole  of  honor — Determined  to  go  at 
every  hazard — Finally  enter  Mexico  by  way  of  Sonora. 

CHAPTER  XIII 124 

Arrival  in  camp  of  patriots — Their  little  army — 
Different  nationalities — The  character  of  the  Mexican 
greaser — I  trust  them  and  find  them  reliable — What 
we  had  to  eat — The  way  the  contest  was  carried  on — 
A  thrilling  adventure. 

CHAPTER  XIV 130 

The  meeting  with  General  Escobedo — Become  a  mem- 
ber of  his  staff — The  French  rapidly  leaving  the  coun- 
try— News  arrives  that  the  last  detachment  of  French 
has  left,  and  that  Maximilian  has  left  the  city  of 
Mexico  and  gone  out  to  Queretaro,  where  he  proposes 
to  make  his  last  stand — His  capture,  trial,  death — My 
impressions  of  the  Mexican  leaders  and  their  corps. 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  XV 133 

The  summoning  of  a  military  commission  to  try 
Maximilian — Universal  demand  for  his  death — Found 
guilty  and  sentenced  to  death,  which  was  to  take  place 
within  five  days  of  his  sentence — The  trial  of  Gen- 
erals Miramon  and  Mejia — Efforts  made  by  the  dif- 
ferent European  nations  and  the  United  States 
government  to  save  Maximilian — The  refusal — His 
death — Reflections. 

CHAPTER  XVI 141 

My  impressions  of  President  Juarez,  Escobedo,  and 
Diaz. 

CHAPTER  XVII 150 

My  return  to  the  United  States — Visit  different  points 
in  the  United  States — Finally  settle  down  in  Minne- 
sota— Become  a  reformer  in  politics — Elected  to  the 
legislature — Introduce  three  reform  measures. 

CHAPTER  XVIII 168 

I  meet  Miss  Willard — Estimate  of  her  power  as  a 
Leader — My  marriage  to  Lydia  Gertrude  Lemen — 
My  wife's  family — Our  children,  Mary  and  John. 

CHAPTER  XIX 179 

Nominated  for  Governor  of  Missouri — Lithia  Springs 
Assembly — Hon.  Wm.  E.  Mason — Good  Templar  Or- 
ganizer— A  happy  life — Education,  religious  views, 
etc. 

CHAPTER  XX 190 

Some  of  my  co-workers  in  reforms — John  Russel — 
John  P.  St.  John — Col.  Frank  J.  Sibley — Mrs.  Charl- 
ton  Edholm  Sibley. 

CHAPTER  XXI 204 

Celebration  of  the  Fiftieth  Anniversary  of  my  arrival 
in  America — Addresses  and  letters  from  prominent 
reformers — Recent  events  in  my  family. 


Contents 

THE   RISE   AND   FALL   OF  THE   POLISH   RE- 
PUBLIC   280 

POEM— JOHN  SOBIESKI 202 

POEM— KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI,  1083 200 

POEM— COLONEL  JOHN  SOBIESKI,  1S92  .  201 


CHAPTER  I. 

My  birth; — Descendant  of  King  John  Sohieski — My  ancestors — 
Father  joins  the  Revolution — Captured  and  imprisoned— His  death  — My 
mother's  summons  to  Warsaw — Her  interview  with  the  viceroy — Her 
refusal  of  the  proposition  of  the  viceroy — Our  banishment. 

I  was  born  in  Warsaw,  Poland,  September 
10th,  1842.  My  father  was  Count  John  Sobieski, 
the  son  of  James  Sobieski  who  lost  his  life  in  the 
Revolution  in  Poland  of  1830  and  1831,  and  a 
lineal  descendant  of  King  John  Sobieski  who 
is  known  in  history  as  John  III.,  being  myself  sixth 
in  the  direct  line  through  the  oldest  sons  of 
oldest  sons  of  that  great  warrior  monarch.  My 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Isabella  Bern,  of  the 
celebrated  Bern  family,  so  noted  for  their  patriot- 
ism. Her  oldest  half-brother  served  under  the 
great  Napoleon,  and  was  in  most  all  of  the  strug- 
gles for  liberty  in  Europe,  from  1815  until  his 
death  in  1853. 

My  father  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
Poland,  France  and  Germany,  graduating  from  the 
university  at  Heidelberg  in  1840,  when  he  was 
about  twenty  years  of  age.  Immediately  upon  his 
graduation  he  returned  to  his  native  country,  enter- 
ing the  service  with  the  rank  of  colonel  in  the 
Polish  contingent  of  the  Russian  army.  Here  he 
was  serving  at  the  outbreak  of  the  insurrection  in 
1846,  which  insurrection  he  entered  into  at  once 


2       ,  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  one  of  the  Sobieski 
race.  He  participated  in  several  battles  of  that 
contest,  was  wounded,  captured,  and  imprisoned, 
and  was  finally  executed  by  the  Russian  govern- 
ment March  10th,  1848. 

The  estate  of  my  father  was  situated  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  from  Warsaw,  and  as 
soon  as  the  insurrection  broke  out,  my  mother  with 
her  boy — myself — at  once  repaired  to  the  estate, 
which  was  one  of  the  largest  in  Poland,  compris- 
ing two  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land.  My 
mother  learned  that  my  father  had  been  wounded 
and  captured  by  the  Russian  army,  and  supposed 
that  they  had  put  him  to  death,  as  she  did  not 
hear  of  him  again  for  more  than  a  year. 

But  all  this  time  my  father  was  suffering  the 
horrors  of  a  Russian  prison.  For  some  thirteen 
months  he  was  struggling  for  existence  in  that 
prison,  without  a  bath  or  a  change  of  clothing,  in 
a  cell  infested  with  vermin  of  every  description. 
One  day  he  was  visited  by  a  Russian  officer,  who 
informed  him  that  it  had  been  decreed  by  the 
Russian  government  that  he  must  suffer  death. 
The  officer  told  my  father  that,  if  he  had  any  reason- 
able request  to  make,  it  would  be  granted.  His 
only  request  was  that  he  might  be  privileged  to  see 
his  wife  and  boy. 

*    One  day  my  mother  was  surprised  by  receiving 
a  visit  from  a  detachment  of  Cossack  soldiers,  who, 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  3 

in  the  name  of  the  Czar,  ordered  her  to  get  ready 
and  follow  them. 

Not  knowing  whither  we  were  bound,  in  our 
own  carriage,  driven  by  our  own  servant,  we  pro- 
ceeded with  the  soldiers.  I  remember  the  journey 
well.  It  was  in  the  latter  part  of  February  or  the 
first  of  March.  In  that  north  country  winter  had 
not  abated  any  of  its  rigor,  so  I  remember  the 
severe  cold  and  the  gay  trappings  of  the  soldiers. 
We  could  not  have  been  more  than  two  days  mak- 
ing the  trip,  stopping  now  and  then  for  a  few  min- 
utes rest,  and  for  refreshments.  We  arrived  in 
Warsaw  at  night. 

The  next  morning  we  were  ordered  to  appear 
before  the  viceroy  of  Poland,  who  was  a  brother  of 
the  emperor.  He  was  a  man  noted  for  his  savage 
and  unfeeling  nature.  But,  to  my  mother's  aston- 
ishment, he  received  her  with  every  token  of 
respect  and  regard,  and  seemed,  indeed,  almost 
friendly.  He  told  my  mother  that  he  had  an 
unpleasant  duty  to  perform,  and  would  do  it 
just  as  gently  and  as  kindly  as  possible.  He 
informed  my  mother  that  my  father  was  still  living, 
but  that  he  would  be  executed  the  next  morning ; 
and  that  her  father  and  her  two  younger  brothers 
were  in  the  same  prison  with  my  father,  and  would 
be  executed  at  the  same  time  with  him.  He  said 
that  he  now  had  a  proposition  to  make  to  her,  and 
he  hoped  that  she  would  consider  it  carefully ; 


4  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

that  she  would  not  let  any  sense  of  wrong  she 
thought  she  had  suffered  prevent  her  from  making 
a  wise  decision,  as  the  future  welfare  of  herself  and 
child  was  in  her  own  hands,  and  depended  upon 
her  answer.  He  said  that  the  emperor  had  author- 
ized him  to  make  her  this  proposition:  That  if  she 
would  consent  to  have  her  boy  taken  from  her  that 
day,  conveyed  to  an  institution  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Greek  Church,  where  he  would  be  care- 
fully guarded,  instructed  and  educated  under  the 
supervision  of  the  teachers  of  the  Greek  Church, 
(the  object  of  the  Russian  government  being  to 
nationalize  me,  that  is,  to  make  me  an  adherent 
of  the  Russian  government ),  assuring  her  that 
everything  should  be  done  for  his  welfare  and  cul- 
ture, and  that  she  should  have  the  privilege  oi 
occasionally  visiting  him  ; — if  she  would  consent  to 
this  and  take  the  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  emperor, 
she  might  return  to  the  estate  unrestrained  and 
enjoy  it  until  her  son  arrived  at  his  majority,  when 
he  would  come  into  possession  of  it  himself:  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  if  she  refused  this  proposition, 
then  on  the  morrow  a  decree  would  be  issued  in  the 
name  of  the  emperor,  expelling  her  and  her  son 
forever  from  Poland  upon  the  penalty  of  death, 
should  she  or  her  son  ever  return,  or  enter  any 
territory  controlled  by  the  Czar ;  and  that  our 
estates  and  all  of  our  belongings  would  be  forever 
confiscated  to  the  Czar. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  5 

The  viceroy  very  kindly  offered  my  mother 
proper  time  to  consider  the  proposition,  and 
begged  her  to  take  the  time.  But  my  mother 
without  any  hesitation  told  him  such  a  proposition 
would  not  require  time  for  thought  or  considera- 
tion. Her  mind  was  already  made  up.  She  said  : 
11  Sire,  you  can  tell  the  emperor  for  me,  that  he  can 
take  from  us  our  estate,  he  can  take  from  us  all  we 
possess  in  the  world,  banish  me  and  my  child 
from  our  native  land,  home  and  kindred,  to  dwell 
in  foreign  lands  among  strangers.  I  may  be 
compelled  to  beg  bread  for  myself  and  boy,  but  I 
will  go,  and  I'll  teach  my  boy  that  he  is  a  Pole,  and 
to  love  liberty  and  to  despise  tyranny,  and  to  revere 
and  cherish  the  cause  which  his  father  cherished 
and  died  for,  and  to  hate  with  undying  hatred  that 
nation  and  sovereign  who  murdered  his  father 
and  kin  and  despoiled  his  country,  and  sent  us  into 
exile.  " 

When  my  mother  had  thus  spoken,  we  were 
dismissed  from  the  presence  of  the  viceroy,  and 
were  then  taken  to  see  my  father  in  that  terrible 
prison  dungeon.  Though  fifty-one  years  have 
elapsed  since  then,  and  I  have  passed  through 
many  scenes,  yet  that  terrible  picture  has  never 
been  effaced  from  my  memory.  In  a  small  room 
without  a  single  ray  of  sunlight,  and  with  but  a 
few  straggling  rays  of  daylight,  we  found  my 
father.  The  dirt  and  filth  were  appalling — indescrib- 


fy 
6  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

/ 

able.  How  he  had  existed  for  more  than  thirteen 
months,  it  was  beyond  our  comprehension  to  con- 
ceive. Nothing  but  his  splendid  constitution  had 
sustained  him.  For  six  hours  we  were  permitted 
to  be  with  him.  Those  six  hours  were  spent  in 
loving  caresses  and  counsel.  Promptly  at  the 
expiration  of  the  time  we  were  summoned  forth. 
The  parting  was  such  as  you  might  have  expected 
of  a  brave  man  and  a  brave  woman  knowing  that 
they  should  never  meet  again  till  they  should  meet 
in  the  land  of  spirits.  My  mother  at  once  made  the 
request  that  she  might  be  permitted  to  visit  her 
father  and  brothers,  as  they  were  confined  in  the 
same  prison.  This  was  refused,  and  we  were  then 
taken  back  to  our  hotel.  The  next  morning  my 
father  and  grandfather  were  executed.  My  father 
was  not  quite  twenty-eight  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  his  death. 

Before  we  left  Warsaw  my  mother  learned 
that  her  younger  sister,  whose  age  was  twenty, 
and  who  had  been  arrested  and  imprisoned  some 
months  before,  had  been  sentenced  to  Siberia 
for  twenty  years  at  hard  labor.  Later,  we  met  with 
a  bishop  of  the  Greek  Church,  who  was  present  at 
the  departure  of  my  aunt  for  Siberia,  who  described 
her  departure,  chained  to  a  gang  of  convicts,  whose 
company  she  was  to  march  in  for  twenty-eight 
hundred  miles,  all  of  which  must  be  made  on  foot. 
She  was  never  heard  of  afterward.  She  probably 
died  or  was  murdered  by  the  Cossack  soldiers 
en  route. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Banished — Journey  to  the  frontier  — Refusal  of  the  Austrian  authori- 
ties to  let  us  land — Go  to  Pose-n  —  Ordered  out  by  the  Prussian  authorities  — 
Go  to  Brussels,  Berne,  Milan — Expulsion  from  Milan — The  case  of  Captain 
Ingraham — Arrival  in  England — Louis  Kossuth  and  Hungary — My  uncle 
Joseph  Bern — My  pledge  to  my  mother  on  her  death-bed — My  parents — 
My  mother's  death. 

Two  or  three  days  after  my  father's  execution, 
my  mother  and  I  were  placed  in  a  sleigh,  and 
under  escort  of  Cossacks  were  started  toward  the 
frontier.  We  were  driven  out  without  any 
preparation  at  all,  for  my  mother  never  dreamed 
when  she  left  our  ancestral  home,  that  she  was 
never  to  return.  She  took  but  a  limited  amount 
of  money,  and  left  all  of  her  diamonds,  valued  at 
more  than  half  a  million  of  dollars.  She  often  said 
that  if  she  had  taken  these  along  with  her,  they 
would  have  secured  her  support,  or  furnished  her 
all  the  revenue  she  might  have  needed. 

After  days  of  journeying,  we  arrived  on  the 
frontier  of  Galicia,  the  part  of  Poland  absorbed  by 
Austria.  We  were  halted  by  the  Austrian  authori- 
ties, who  in  a  few  hours  informed  us  that  our 
presence  was  not  desirable.  From  thence  we 
went  to  the  province  of  Posen,  known  as  Prussian 
Poland.  After  sojourning  there  for  a  few  weeks, 
we  were  one  morning  peremptorily  ordered  out  of 
the  country. 


8  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

The  reason  for  our  ejection  both  by  the 
Austrian  and  the  Prussian  authorities  was  evident. 
Both  of  those  countries  were  being  rent  at  that 
time  by  revolutionary  movements,  and,  as  we  were 
political  exiles,  we  were  looked  upon  with  suspicion 
and  dread. 

From  thence  we  went  to  the  city  of  Brussels, 
in  Belgium.  After  sojourning  there  some  weeks, 
we  went  to  Berne,  Switzerland,  the  beautiful  capi- 
tal of  that  country.  Here  we  remained  for  more 
than  a  year,  my  mother  teaching  a  school  of  young 
ladies,  in  languages,  music,  and  painting. 

From  there  we  went  in  1850  to  Milan,  Italy. 
My  mother's  health  had  begun  to  fail  her,  and 
she  went  to  Milan,  where  she  had  some  friends, 
and  where  it  was  thought  her  health  would  be 
better. 

On  the  way  we  visited  Rome.  I  still  have  a 
recollection  of  the  Eternal  City.  Much  as  I 
enjoyed  its  walks  and  drives,  my  pleasure  was 
greatly  marred  by  the  poor  beggars,  who  seemed 
to  meet  us  in  swarms  at  every  turn. 

After  living  in  Milan  for  something  over  a  year, 
an  event  occurred  that  hastened  our  departure. 
Captain  Duncan  N.  Ingraham,  of  the  United 
States  navy,  while  cruising  in  the  Mediterranean 
Sea,  had  entered  the  little  Turkish  town  of  Smyrna, 
where  he  learned  that  an  American  citizen  by  the 
name  of  Martin  Koszta  had  a  dav  or  two  before 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  9 

been  seized  on  the  streets  and  taken  aboard  an 
Austrian  ship  of  war,  placed  in  irons,  and  held  as  a 
prisoner. 

The  history  of  Martin  Koszta  had  been  this: 
He  was  a  Hungarian,  and  had  taken  part  in  the 
revolution  under  Kossuth.  He  succeeded  in  mak- 
ing his  escape  after  the  failure  of  the  revolution, 
and  came  to  the  United  States,  where  he  had 
taken  out  his  naturalization  papers.  His  health 
failing  him,  he  returned  to  Europe  and  took  a 
journey  up  the  Mediterranean.  The  steamer,  or 
ship,  stopped  at  Smyrna,  where  he  went  ashore. 
Smyrna  being  a  neutral  port,  no  doubt  he  con- 
sidered himself  perfectly  safe ;  and  so  he  was,  as 
far  as  international  law  was  concerned.  But  in 
some  way  he  was  recognized;  and  the  Austrian 
commander  being  informed  of  his  presence,  he  was 
arrested  and  taken  aboard  the  Austrian  ship,  and 
no  doubt  would  have  been  returned  to  Austria  or 
Hungary  and  executed. 

Captain  Ingraham,  on  learning  of  his  arrest, 
went  alongside  of  the  Austrian  ship  and  asked  if 
Martin  Koszta  was  aboard.  He  was  at  once 
informed  that  he  was  not  and  had  not  been.  Cap- 
tain Ingraham  then  went  ashore,  where  he  was 
informed  that  Koszta  was  aboard  that  ship,  as  the 
ship  had  been  watched  every  moment  from  the 
time  he  had  entered  it.  Ingraham  then  went 
alongside  the  Austrian  vessel  and  asked  the  same 


io  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

question  again ;  and  again  Koszta's  presence 
was  denied. 

He  returned  ashore,  where  he  met  the  admiral, 
or  commodore  (for  there  were  three  Austrian  ships 
of  war  lying  in  the  harbor).  He  said  to  the  admiral: 
"  I  have  been  credibly  informed  that  an  American 
citizen  by  the  name  of  Martin  Koszta  has  been 
arrested  upon  these  streets  and  taken  aboard  your 
flag-ship,  and  is  now  held  as  a  prisoner.  I  have 
been  to  your  ship  twice,  and  twice  the  commander 
of  your  ship  has  lied  in  my  face  and  denied  there 
was  any  such  person  aboard/' 

The  admiral  answered  by  saying :  "  Martin 
Koszta  is  a  subject  of  his  Majesty  Francis  Joseph? 
and  is  held  a  prisoner  on  board  my  flag-ship, 
and  you  can  see  him  if  you  so  desire." 

Captain  Ingraham  immediately  went  aboard 
the  Austrian  ship.  When  Martin  Koszta  was 
brought  before  him  in  irons,  Koszta  was  asked  if 
he  was  an  American  citizen.  He  said  he  was. 
He  was  asked  if  he  demanded  the  protection  of 
the  American  government.  He  said  he  did.  He 
was  informed  that  he  should  have  it.  His  release 
was  at  once  demanded,  but  the  Austrians  refused 
to  give  .him  up.  Captain  Ingraham  then  gave 
them  twenty-four  hours  time  to  release  and  restore 
the  prisoner,  and  said  if  he  was  not  released  at  the 
end  of  that  time,  he  would  open  his  guns  upon  the 
Austrian  ship.  But  the  Austrians  laughed  him  to 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  n 

r  orn,  as  they  had  three  ships,  three  men,  and  three 
r;uns,  to  the  Americans'  one.  The  ship  that  Cap- 
i  iin  Ingraham  commanded  was  the  sloop  of  war 
St.  Louis. 

When  the  next  day  dawned  there  was  great 
excitement  and  stir  in  the  little  Turkish  town. 
People  gathered  on  the  hilltops  overlooking  the 
bay,  watching  with  deep  interest  everything 
going  on  in  the  harbor. 

Now,  before  the  expiration  of  the  time,  the 
governor  came  to  Captain  Ingraham  and  thanked 
him  for  his  willingness  to  protect  the  neutrality  of 
his  port,  but  said  that,  with  their  superior  arma- 
ment, the  Austrians  would  sink  him  in  a  short  time. 
The  answer  of  Captain  Ingraham  was  :  "  I  know 
my  duty  and  shall  do  it ;  and  unless  the  prisoner  is 
released,  I  will  open  my  guns  upon  them  at  the 
time  specified." 

He  now  steamed  his  ship  into  better  position, 
where  he  could  bear  directly  upon  the  flag-ship  of 
the  Austrians.  Quarters  were  beat,  guns  loaded, 
and  every  man  was  at  his  post ;  Captain  Ingraham 
was  on  the  quarter-deck,  with  watch  in  hand, 
waiting  for  the  expiration  of  the  time,  when,  just 
five  minutes  before  the  expiration  of  the  time,  a 
boat  was  let  down  from  the  Austrian  ship,  the 
prisoner  was  surrendered  to  the  French  consul, 
and  by  the  French  consul  released  and  placed  a 
free  man  upon  the  streets  from  which  he  had  been 


12  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

taken  :  and  the  monarchs  of  Europe  had  learned 
for  the  first  time,  that  the  young  Republic  of  the 
West  was  strong  enough  and  brave  enough  to 
protect  her  people  everywhere,  and  would  do  it  at 
every  hazard,  even  though  such  citizens  might  be 
of  foreign  birth. 

It  was  while  returning  from  the  Mediterranean 
that  Captain  Ingraham  called  at  Milan.  A  demon- 
stration was  made  in  his  honor  by  the  people  of 
that  city,  and  especially  by  the  political  exiles  who 
were  then  residing  there.  This  greatly  offended 
the  government,  and  the  viceroy,  Archduke 
Maximilian,  at  once  ordered  the  expulsion  of  all 
the  political  refugees  residing  in  that  city,  and  for- 
bade them  residing  in  any  part  of  Italy  that  was 
under  the  Austrian  government. 

I  remember  Captain  Ingraham  well.  I  remem- 
ber that  as  he  passed  under  the  window  of 
the  hotel  where  my  mother  and  I  were  standing 
and  waving  our  handkerchiefs  at  him,  he  raised 
his  eyes  and  bowed  and  smiled  upon  us.  That 
moment  he  was  forever  photographed  upon  my 
heart.  That  was  forty-eight  years  ago,  and  yet,  if 
I  were  gifted  with  the  power  of  an  artist,  I  could 
easily  put  him  upon  canvas,  so  vivid  is  my  memory 
of  him.  He  was  a  South  Carolinian,  and  an  ideal 
Southerner  in  every  respect  ;  tall,  dark,  and  hand- 
some,— a  typical,  splendid  specimen  of  the  Ameri- 
can sailor,  of  which  brave  body  Paul  Jones, 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  13 

Stephen  Decatur,  John  Rodgers,  Commodore 
Perry,  Admiral  Farragut,  Dewey,  Sampson,  Schley, 
and  Hobson  are  representatives ;  men  who  have 
made  the  American  navy  glorious  everywhere 
and  for  all  time  to  come. 

The  viceroy  who  decreed  our  banishment,  as  I 
have  already  stated,  was  Archduke  Maximilian, 
the  brother  of  the  emperor  of  Austria.  He  him- 
self afterward  played  the  imperial  act  in  a  farce  in 
Mexico.  I  shall  refer  to  him  again,  later  in 
my  story. 

My  mother  now  proceeded  with  me  to  England, 
that  glorious  old  land  of  liberty.  I  was  now  old 
enough  to  appreciate  what  that  word  liberty 
meant ;  and  oh,  how  I  rejoiced  to  be  among  the 
generous,  warm-hearted,  liberty-loving  people  of 
that  country !  For  all  classes,  from  the  queen  to 
the  peasantry,  showed  interest  in  our  behalf. 

Some    months    after    our    arrival    in   England, 

o 

Louis  Kossuth,  who  had  been  liberated  from  his 
prison  in  Turkey,  together  with  my  uncle,  General 
Joseph  Bern,  visited  England.  I  remember  Kossuth 
well:  he  was  then  in  his  prime.  I  remember 
his  patting  me  on  the  cheek  and  telling  me 
that  some  day  I,  too,  would  fight  for  liberty.  No 
man  in  England  ever  received  greater  ovations 
than  did  he.  From  there  he  proceeded  to 
America,  where  still  greater  honors  avvaited  him. 
Congress  gave  him  a  vote  of  welcome  to  the  land. 


14  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

o 

American  statesmen  like  Webster,  Sumner, 
Douglas,  Seward,  and  Hale,  voiced  the  sentiment 
of  Congress  and  of  the  people  in  welcoming  to 
these  shores  the  glorious  champion  of  liberty. 
After  a  few  months  he  returned  to  Europe  and 
sought  to  interest  some  of  the  nations  there  in 
behalf  of  his  country.  Failing  in  this,  almost 
broken-hearted,  he  retired  to  Genoa,  Italy,  where 
he  spent  the  rest  of  his  days. 

After  Austria  received  its  stunning  defeat  at 
the  hands  of  France,  and  again  at  the  hands  of 
Prussia,  by  which  it  lost  its  place  as  the  head  of 
the  German  states,  they  sought  to  conciliate 
Hungary  by  conceding  to  her  all  she  strove  for 
under  Kossuth  :  a  diet  of  her  own,  a  ministry,  and 
a  constitution.  This  seemed  to  conciliate  Hungary : 
but  it  did  not  Kossuth,  who  said  there  could  be 
no  reliance  upon  Austria  ;  that  he  could  not  trust 
the  House  of  Hapsburgs,  for  they  would  betray 
Hungary  whenever  it  would  pay  them  to  do  it. 
Austria  rescinded  its  decree  of  banishment  of 
Kossuth,  restored  his  property  to  him,  and  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Hungarian  Diet;  but  still 
he  would  not  return,  saying  that  he  could  only  live 
in  free  Hungary,  or  not  at  all.  So  he  died  in 
Genoa,  in  March,  1894,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two, 
beloved  and  mourned  by  all  who  love  liberty, 
patriotism  and  consistency. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  15 

My  uncle  Joseph  Bern,  who  served  under 
Kossuth,  had  led  a  life  of  rare  devotion.  He  had 
fought  for  liberty  almost  everywhere  :  wherever  the 
cause  of  liberty  was  in  peril,  he  entered  into  it  with 
all  the  enthusiasm  he  displayed  when  fighting  for 
his  own  country.  He  returned  to  Turkey,  as  he 
saw  unmistakable  signs  of  a  coming  conflict 
between  that  country  and  Russia.  He  became 
naturalized  as  a  Turk,  was  raised  to  the  rank  of 
pasha,  reorganized  her  army  upon  the  modern 
plan,  and,  while  right  amidst  his  work,  suddenly 
died  in  December,  1853.  It  was  supposed  he 
was  poisoned  by  some  one  in  the  pay  of  Russia. 
But  he  lived  long  enough  to  put  Turkey  on  such 
a  good  military  footing  as  to  enable  her  army  to 
beat  the  Russian  army  in  every  battle  that 
occurred  the  year  afterward. 

After  living  about  six  months  in  England,  my 
mother's  health  had  failed  so  rapidly,  that  it  was 
deemed  best  that  we  be  separated.  So  I  was 
placed  in  the  family  of  a  Polish  gentleman  by  the 
name  of  Zolaski.  My  mother  continued  to  decline 
rapidly,  and  in  September,  1854,  she  died.  She 
was  twenty-nine  at  the  time  of  her  death. 

I  do  not  know  much  about  the  personal  appear- 
ance of  my  father,  as  he  died  when  I  was  so 
young.  But  those  whom  I  have  met  who  did 
know  him,  described  him  as  being  tall,  with  amass 
of  black  curly  hair,  large,  flashing,  black  eyes,  and 


1 6  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

very  handsome, — a  thorough  soldier.  My  mother 
I  remember  very  well.  She  was  of  medium 
height,  would  weigh  perhaps  one  hundred  and 
twenty  pounds.  She  had  beautiful,  dark  auburn 
hair;  her  eyes  were  dark  brown,  not  very  large, 
but  tender  and  beautiful.  I  have  had  people  say 
to  me,  ''  What  a  beautiful  woman  your  mother 
is!"  It  may  be  asked  by  those  who  know  me, 
why  I  did  not  inherit  some  of  the  good  looks  of 
either  my  father  or  my  mother.  That  seems  to 
be  one  of  those  things  that  we  can't  account  for. 
My  mother  did  one  thing  for  me  that  I  shall 
always  remember  with  gratitude.  She  made  me 
pledge  to  her  on  the  day  of  her  death,  that  I  would 
never,  as  long  as  I  cherished  her  memory,  drink 
strong  drink,  gamble,  or  take  the  name  of  God  in 
vain;  and  I  have  never  in  the  slightest  degree 
violated  this  pledge.  It  has  proven  to  me  of  more 
estimable  value  than  any  wealth  she  could  possibly 
have  left  me.  When  she  died  she  left  me  in  a 
land  of  strangers,  without  a  penny,  and,  as  it  were, 
without  friends.  But  that  pledge  has  kept  me 
through  those  years  when  I  was  in  the  army,  when 
I  was  young,  tempted  and  tried.  The  love  which  I 
cherished  of  a  noble  memory  made  me  strong 
against  every  temptation  ;  and  all  that  I  am,  and 
all  I  expect  to  be,  and  all  the  good  that  I  have 
accomplished  in  fighting  the  liquor  traffic, — all 
belong  to  her. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  17 


CHAPTER  III. 

My  voyage  to  America — Arrival  in  America — Enter  the  United  States 
army — Barracks  at  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania— Jefferson  barracks,  St.  Louis — 
Sent  to  Fort  Leavenworth  to  join  the  Utah  expedition  under  General 
Albert  Sidney  Johnston — Our  journey  across  the  plains — Fort  Bridger — 
The  Mormons — Ordered  to  New  Mexico — War  with  the  Apaches — 
Return  to  Fort  Fillmore,  1860. 

At  the  time  of  my  mother's  death  I  was 
adopted  into  the  family  of  Professor  Kaloski,  of 
Liverpool.  They  were  very  kind  to  me,  and  I 
shall  always  remember  them  with  sincere  affection, 
and  regret  that  I  repaid  them  so  poorly  for  all  their 
kindness  to  me.  Professor  Kaloski's  wife  was  an 
English  lady  of  rare  accomplishment  and  beauty, 
who,  before  and  after  my  mother's  death,  did  all 
for  me  that  a  mother  could  have  done. 

Professor  Kaloski  came  of  one  ot  Poland's 
noblest  families.  In  the  uprising  for  liberty  in 
1830,  he  entered  enthusiastically  into  the  struggle, 
and  when  it  failed,  lost  all,  and  was  compelled  to 
go  into  exile.  He  came  to  America  and  was  for 
some  two  or  three  years  an  instructor  at 
Annapolis,  our  naval  school.  Before  coming  to 
this  country  he  had  lived  in  England  for  a  year  or 
so,  where  he  met  the  beautiful  woman  who  after- 
ward became  his  wife.  It  was  she,  I  suspect, 
who  drew  him  back  to  England,  where  he  married 


20  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

the  commander  of  the  post;  here  a  bugle  was 
brought  in  and  I  was  asked  to  give  them  some 
music  on  it.  I  did  so,  and  it  was  highly  satisfac- 
tory. Captain  Cravens  then  became  my  guardian, 
and  enlisted  me  in  the  United  States  service 
April  26th,  1855.  This  noble  man  was  lost  at  sea 
during  the  Civil  War,  off  Cape  Hatteras,  serving 
the  flag  which  he  loved  so  well. 

After  remaining  on  Governors'  Island  a  few 
weeks,  I  was  sent  to  Carlisle  barracks  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  I  was  to  be  instructed  further  in 
music,  drilled  and  disciplined,  and  converted  into  a 
soldier.  I  could  speak  or  understand  but  a  few 
words  of  the  English  tongue;  but  I  rapidly  picked 
it  up,  and  in  a  few  months  could  understand  nearly 
everything  that  was  said  to  me,  and  make  all  my 
wants  and  desires  known. 

A  circumstance  occurred  shortly  after  going  to 
Carlisle,  that  did  much  to  set  me  forever  against 
the  evils  of  strong  drink.  Up  to  this  time,  I  had 
never  known  much  of  anything  about  intoxicating 
liquor.  I  had  seen  people  drink  wine,  but  had 
never  seen  anybody  drunk  that  I  knew  of.  In  the 
barracks  there  at  Carlisle  was  a  sergeant  by  the 
name  of  Warmingham,  as  fine  a  specimen  of  a 
man,  physically,  as  I  ever  saw;  a  perfect  soldier. 
I  remember,  as  young  as  I  was,  how  I  used  to 
admire  his  fine  looks  and  wonder  if  I  would  ever 
be  as  fine  looking  a  soldier  as  he.  One  day  the 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  21 

men  were  paid  off,  and  Sergeant  Warmingham 
that  afternoon  went  over  to  town.  I  remember  as 
he  passed  out  the  gate  in  his  clean,  new  uniform, 
with  his  white  gloves,  my  admiring  eyes  followed 
him  far  as  I  could  see  him.  He  did  not  come  back 
that  night — indeed,  it  was  several  days  before  he 
did  come  back  ;  and  when  he  did  return — what  a 
looking  man !  He  was  brought  back  by  two 
policemen — drunk,  crazy,  cursing  and  raving.  He 
was  placed  in  a  cell,  where  I  heard  his  ravings  for 
days  afterward.  He  was  finally  court  martialed, 
reduced  to  the  ranks,  and  set  to  work  about  the 
grounds  with  a  ball  and  chain.  When  I  used  to 
look  out  upon  his  blackened,  bruised  face,  looking 
so  wicked  and  desperate,  and  I  was  told  that  the 
cause  of  it  all  was  strong  drink,  it  so  turned  me 
against  that  dreadful  beverage,  that  I  have  never 
ceased  to  hate  it  from  that  day  to  this,  and  shall 
hate  it  as  long  as  I  live. 

After  a  while  I  was  ordered  to  Jefferson  bar- 
racks, near  St.  Louis.  Jefferson  barracks  at  that 
time  was  quite  a  rendezvous. 

It  was  while  I  was  at  Jefferson  barracks  that  I 
saw  General  Lee,  then  Colonel  Lee,  on  the  staff  of 
General  Scott.  He  came  to  the  barracks  on  a  tour 
of  inspection.  We  were  several  days  getting  in 
trim  for  his  visit.  I  remember  him  well.  He  was 
a  very  handsome,  man  at  that  time,  probably 
between  forty-five  and  fifty  years  of  age  ;  a  perfect 


22  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

,t.' 

soldier  in  his  manners  and  bearing.  His  refined 
face  and  manners  I  shall  never  forget.  Little  did  I 
think  at  the  time,  that  in  so  few  years  I  should  be 
fighting  an  army  of  which  he  would  be  the  com- 
mander. 

The  commander  of  the  post  at  that  time,  and, 
indeed,  of  that  department,  was  General  Harney, 
at  that  time  one  of  the  best  known  and  popular 
men  in  the  service.  He  had  served  in  the  army 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century;  in  Florida,  in 
Mexico,  and  on  the  plains.  He  was  a  typical 
frontier  soldier;  strong,  brave  and  daring;  hated 
and  feared  by  the  Indians  as  no  other  man.  At 
the  opening  of  the  Civil  War  he  was  still  in  com- 
mand of  that  department.  He  adhered  to  the 
Federal  government,  but  because  of  some  act  of 
his  at  the  opening  of  the  war,  and  perhaps  to 
make  way  for  a  younger  man,  he  was  retired. 

I  remember  a  circumstance  while  at  Jefferson 
barracks,  that  gave  me  all  the  experience  with 
tobacco  that  I  ever  had.  Some  boys  who  were 
musicians  went  up  to  St.  Louis.  They  drank  beer 
and  wanted  me  to  ;  upon  my  refusal  to  do  so  they 
made  fun  of  me  and  called  me  a  "girl".  I  stood 
that  as  well  as  I  could,  but  felt  it  deeply.  Then 
they  offered  me  a  cigar.  I  thought  I  would  com- 
promise with  them  on  that,  but  regretted  afterward 
that  I  did.  We  sat  and  talked  and  smoked,  and 
I  grew  dizzy,  then  sick,  and  then  began  to  throw 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  23 

up.  I  not  only  got  sick,  but  I  got  awfully  sick. 
The  first  hour  I  was  really  afraid  I  was  going  to 
die;  and  the  next  hour  I  was  afraid  I  wouldn't  die. 
The  boys  took  me  into  the  rear  of  the  saloon,  and 
laid  me  on  a  cot  where  the  other  topers  usually 
lay  when  too  drunk  to  promenade.  Finally,  the 
boys  started  me  back  to  the  barracks.  When  we 
arrived  at  the  barracks  my  red  cheeks  were  all 
gone:  I  was  so  weak  I  had  to  be  led.  I  was  taken 
to  my  room  and  was  laid  upon  my  bed. 

A  few  minutes  afterward  the  sergeant  of  the 
guard  came  in  and  said  :  "  Where  is  that  drunken 
musician  ? " 

My  comrade  said,  "  He  is  not  drunk,  but  he  is 
sick  from  smoking  a  cigar.  " 

"I  know  better,"  said  the  sergeant,  "  let  me 
see  him.  " 

He  came  along  to  my  bedside  and  said:  "  Are 
you  drunk  ?  " 

I  said,  "  No  sir,  I  never  drank  any  liquor  in 
my  life,  but  I  smoked  a  cigar  and  I'm  afraid  I'm 
going  to  die.  " 

He  said,  "Oh,  h — !  you'll  be,  all  right  in  the 
morning.  I'll  excuse  you  from  roll  call  to-night.  " 

I  was  all  right  in  the  morning,  but  I  came  to 
this  conclusion :  that  two  things  which  many  men 
consider  absolutely  necessary  for  their  happiness 
and  well  being,  whiskey  and  tobacco,  for  some  rea- 


24  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

son  or   other,   were    never  intended  for    me  ;    so  1 
bade  them  adieu  forever. 

I  was  shortly  after  this,  in  the  spring  of  1857, 
ordered  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  which  was  being 
prepared  to  suppress  the  trouble  then  brewing 
in  Utah  with  the  Mormons.  In  the  winter  before, 
Congress  had  passed  stringent  laws  for  the  sup- 
pression of  polygamy.  This  was  done  at  the 
demand — or  practically  at  the  demand — of  the 
whole  nation,  which  was  shocked  at  the  develop- 
ment of  polygamy  in  one  of  our  territories,  and  it 
was  determined,  at  whatever  cost  to  the  nation, 
that  it  should  be  suppressed.  Yet,  as  I  dictate 
these  words  to-day,  we  learn  that  a  treaty  has  been 
made  with  the  so-called  Sultan  of  Sulu,  that  not 
only  permits  polygamy  in  one  of  our  newly 
acquired  Philippine  Islands, — not  only  permitting 
it, — but  the  sacred  honor  of  the  nation  is  pledged 
that  it  shall  never  be  interfered  with.  It  has  been 
the  proud  boast  of  our  country  for  thirty  years  or 
more,  that  we  neither  tolerated  polygamy  nor 
slavery;  and  now  we  do  both.  It  only  shows  what 
territorial  greed  will  do  for  a  nation. 

The  commander  of  the  expedition  was  Colonel 
Albert  Sidney  Johnston.  Colonel  Johnston  was 
one  of  the  best  known  and  most  competent  men 
of  our  army.  Born  in  Kentucky,  I  believe,  he  had 
fought  for  liberty  in  the  Texan  army  against 
Mexico,  had  risen  to  distinction  in  the  army  of  the 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  25 

little  republic,  and  gained  additional  laurels  in  our 
war  with  Mexico.  He  was  a  man  of  akind  heart  and 
noble  bearing;  very  dignified,  without  being  at  all 
austere  ;  winning  in  his  ways,  and  loved  by  all  who 
came  in  contact  with  him.  At  the  outbreak  of  our 
Civil  War,  it  is  said  by  those  who  knew  him  best, 
that  his  sympathy  was  actually  with  the  national 
government.  His  Southern  birth  and  relations 
caused  the  Federal  government  to  treat  him  with 
suspicion  and  coolness.  It  was  more  than  his  sen- 
sitive nature  could  stand;  so  he  resigned  his  com- 
mand, settled  his  accounts  with  our  government, 
and  went  over  to  the  South.  He  was  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Shiloh,  April,  1862,  and  in  his  death  the 
South  lost  one  of  her  ablest  commanders. 

The  second  in  command  was  Colonel  Alexan- 
der, who,  during  the  Civil  War,  was  the  chief  of 
General  Lee's  staff.  Another  prominent  officer 
was  Major  VanDorn,  who  was  afterward  a  distin- 
guished general  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  was 
assassinated  by  a  grieved  husband  in  Mississippi. 
Another  was  Captain  Hancock,  our  quarter- 
master, afterward  so  distinguished  in  the  Union 
army  as  commander  of  the  Second  Army  Corps,  and 
one  of  the  most  celebrated  generals  of  our  army. 
He  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  president  in 
1880,  and  came  near  beating  Garfielcl  for  that  high 
position.  Others  were  Fitz  John  Porter,  after- 
ward a  distinguished  commander  of  the  Fifth  Army 


26  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

Corps;  Captain  J.  B.  Magruder,  afterward  a  dis- 
tinguished Confederate  commander ;  and  Major 
Beauregard,  the  great  Southern  general. 

How  often  I  have  seen  these  men  eating 
together  at  the  same  mess!  Yet  only  a  brief 
period  of  four  years  passes  away,  and  we  see  them 
leading  brigades,  divisions,  corps,  and  armies 
against  each  other  in  the  mightiest  conflict  the 
world  has  ever  seen. 

An  incident  occurred  a  few  days  before  our 
march  from  Fort  Leavenworth,  that  was  very  amus- 
ing, especially  as  I  look  back  upon  it  now.  One 
day  I  was  acting  as  orderly  for  Captain  Hancock, 
our  quarter-master,  when  Major  Beauregard  came 
to  Hancock  and  said  he  had  received  some  books 
from  France,  recently,  on  engineering,  and  they 
were  very  valuable  volumes ;  and  asked  if  he  could 
have  permission  to  take  them  along  on  the  train. 
Hancock  asked  him  how  many  books  he  had. 

"  Oh,  "  he  said,  "quite  a  box  of  them.  I  sup- 
pose they  would  weigh  a  hundred  pounds,  box  and 
all." 

Hancock  replied,  saying  that  he  would  be 
glad  to  accommodate  him,  but  the  order  was 
imperative  not  to  take  anything  along,  except  that 
which  was  absolutely  essential  for  the  welfare  of 
the  expedition. 

So  the  major  went  away  in  disappointment. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  27 

Shortly  after  this,  Major  VanDorn  came  over 
to  the  headquarters  and  said  that  he  had  a  barrel 
of  peach  brandy  that  he  had  received  a  few  days 
before  from  Kentucky ;  he  said  it  was  the  finest 
stuff  he  ever  tasted  in  that  line  ;  he  didn't  want 
to  sell  that  which  had  been  given  to  him,  and 
asked  if  he  could  have  the  privilege  of  taking  it 
along  on  the  train. 

Hancock  said  :  "  Certainly,  certainly,  any- 
thing of  that  kind,  now ;  but  Beauregard 
was  here  a  few  minutes  ago,  and  wanted  me 
to  permit  him  to  take  along  a  whole  library  of 
books,  and  I  refused  him.  Why,  those  books 
would  be  just  as  heavy  when  we  get  to  Salt  Lake 
City  ;  but  I  think  that  barrel  will  be  a  great  deal 
lighter,  don't  you  ?" 

That  admitted  of  no  discussion  at  all :  the  barrel 
was  taken,  and  I  am  very  sure  that  it  began  to 
lighten  from  the  first  hour — certainly  from  the 
first  day  ;  for  a  few  days  after  our  march  began,  I 
saw  the  barrel  cast  aside  on  the  prairie. 

We  left  Fort  Leavenworth  on  the  26th  of  June, 
on  a  beautiful,  bright,  hot  clay  of  summer.  As  we 
marched  out  from  the  fort,  and  I  watched  our  lit- 
tle army  starting  on  that  celebrated  expedition,  I 
thought  what  a  magnificent  array  it  was.  What  a 
fine  army !  It  numbered  twenty-nine  hundred 
men  all  told — infantry,  artillery,  cavalry  and  engi- 
neers ;  just  about  the  size  of  a  good  brigade  of  our 


28  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

army  during  the  Civil  War.  In  our  march  of  the 
first  fifty  miles  westward,  we  passed  little  villages 
and  cabins  ;  but  after  that,  in  a  few  days,  we 
found  ourselves  out  on  the  great  American  desert. 
How  splendid  was  the  scenery!  We  soon  began 
to  encounter  little  herds  of  deer,  and  then 
the  buffaloes. 

Coming  down  through  western  Kansas  a  few 
months  ago,  passing  through  her  fine  towns  and 
cities,  with  their  colleges,  universities,  electric 
lights  and  electric  trains,  and  looking  out  on  their 
splendid  farms,  I  remembered  that  in  my  day  I  had 
seen  those  plains  covered  with  herds  of  deer  and 
elks  and  immense  numbers  of  buffaloes,  and  thought 
how  wonderful  was  the  advance  of  our  American 
civilization, 

The  story  of  that  celebrated  march  has  passed 
into  history  :  its  hardships,  its  sufferings  are  well 
known  to  the  reader  of  American  history,  and  I 
will  not  undertake  to  tell  it.  It  would  make  a 
volume  larger  than  this  which  I  intend  to  write. 

When  we  reached  the  Green  River,  we  were  met 
by  a  deputation  of  Mormons  from  Brigham  Young, 
who  was  still  governor  of  Utah,  saying  that  he 
regarded  our  advance  to  Utah  as  an  act  of  hostil- 
ity, and  that  he  should  resist  it :  but  as  it  was  too 
late  for  us  to  return  that  fall,  we  could  remain 
there,  and  he  would  furnish  us  with  rations  which 
would  be  reasonable  in  price  ;  but  he  would 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  29 

expect  us  early  in  the  next  spring-  to  return  from 
whence  we  came.  But  we  continued  to  advance. 

A  few  weeks  after  this,  Brigham  Young,  in 
addressing  his  people,  told  them  not  to  be  fright- 
ened, as  our  army  would  never  reach  Salt  Lake 
City;  for  some  night  while  we  slumbered,  the 
angel  of  death  would  visit  us,  and  we  would  wake 
up  in  the  morning  and  find  ourselves  dead;  or 
words  to  that  effect. 

But  the  angel  of  death  didn't  visit  us';  at  least, 
not  all  of  us.  That  winter,  while  we  lay  at  Fort 
Bridger,  a  negotiation  was  held  between  the  Mor- 
mons, represented  by  Judge  Kain  of  Philadelphia, 
and  the  government  authorities,  and  a  peace  of 
some  kind  was  effected  ;  so  that  in  the  following 
spring,  when  we  took  up  our  line  of  march  again, 
we  were  not  opposed  anywhere,  and  the  first  of 
June  we  arrived  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

Salt  Lake  City  of  that  day  was  not  the  Salt 
Lake  City  of  to-day.  It  was  a  city,  then,  of  about 
seven  or  eight  thousand,  I  should  judge  ;  ragged 
and  uneven  in  appearance,  yet  everything  was 
neat  and  tidy.  But  nearly  all  of  the  inhabitants 
had  fled  upon  our  approach  ;  indeed,  I  do  not 
think  there  were  a  hundred  people  left.  The 
Mormon  people  at  that  day,  the  same  as  to-day, 
were  composed  almost  entirely  of  foreigners  ; 
people  from  nearly  all  the  nations  of  Europe, 
except  Poland. 


30  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

They  had  been  told  of  the  bad  character  of  our 
army  ;  hence,  they  fled  upon  our  approach. 

But  a  few  days  after,  the  commander  of  the 
army  issued  a  proclamation  assuring  them  that  we 
had  come  in  the  name  of  law  and  government,  and 
they  would  not  be  molested  as  long  as  they  were 
obedient  to  law,  and  inviting  them  to  return.  In 
a  few  days  they  came  back  to  their  homes  and 
farms,  and  everything  was  going  on  as  usual.  A 
proclamation  was  issued  by  the  new  governor, 
inviting  all  persons  who  were  tired  of  their  polyg- 
amous life,  or  any  other  person,  to  enter  our  lines, 
and  they  would  be  protected,  and  returned  to  their 
homes  if  they  so  desired.  But  nobody  came,  and 
the  Mormons  at  that  time  impressed  us  as  being 
a  very  prosperous,  contented,  and  industrious,  but 
very  fanatical  people. 

I  think  but  once  during  our  stay  did  they  have 
any  reason  to  complain  of  the  conduct  of  any  of 
our  officers  or  men.  Some  months  after  our 
arrival,  we  were  paid  off  for  eight  months  service  ; 
and  that  afternoon,  after  payment,  most  all  of  the 
boys,  except  those  on  duty,  got  permission  to  go 
into  the  city.  We  were  camped  out  where  Fort 
Douglas  is  now,  about  four  miles  from  Salt  Lake. 
While  down  in  the  city  one  of  the  boys  got  pretty 
boozy,  and  meeting  a  Mormon  woman  on  the 
street,  suddenly  became  very  affectionate,  threw 
his  arms  about  her  and  gave  her  a  good  hugging 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  31 

and  kissing.  I  am  sure  he  must  have  been  very 
boozy,  for  no  man,  unless  he  were  in  such  a 
state,  would  have  hugged  and  kissed  such  an  ugly 
woman.  But,  unfortunately,  she  turned  out  to  be 
one  of  the  wives  of  Heber  Kimball,  who  was  second 
in  authority  in  the  Mormon  Church.  He  was  in 
great  anger,  and  demanded  to  see  the  com- 
mander at  once.  Captain  J.  B.  Magruder  was 
officer  of  the  day,  and  pretty  drunk,  as  most  every 
one  else  was,  except  myself  and  the  men  on  guard. 
I  entered  the  tent  of  Captain  Magruder  and 
found  him  sitting  on  a  camp  stool,  with  his  feet 
thrown  on  another,  leaning  up  against  the  wall  of 
the  tent,  and  about  three  sheets  in  the  wind.  I 
said,  "Captain  Magruder,  there  is  a  Mormon 
official  of  some  kind,  who  wishes  to  see  you 


at  once." 


He  said,  "  All  right,  go  out  and  trot  him  in." 

I  did  so,  and  followed  along  behind  to  overhear 
what  was  said. 

As  he  entered  the  tent,  Captain  Magruder 
did  not  rise  to  his  feet  to  receive  him,  for  the  very 
best  of  reasons.  He  simply  raised  his  head  and 
said,  "  Who  are  you?" 

Heber  Kimball  straightened  himself  up  and 
said,  "I  am  Apostle  Kimball." 

Magruder  said,  "  What  in  the  devil  are  you  an 
apostle  of?" 

He  said,  "The  Latter-day  Saints." 


3*  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski, 

Magruder  said,   "Latter-day  devils!" 

In  great  anger,  Kimball  at  once  withdrew  from 
the  tent. 

The  next  morning  Magruder  said  to  me, 
"What  did  I  say  to  that  Mormon  yesterday?" 

I  told  him. 

He  laughed  and  said:  "I  was  pretty  drunk  ; 
however,  I  was  very  correct  in  my  statement." 

But  shortly  after  this,  when  Kimball  came  to 
the  camp  again,  he  found  Magruder  sober.  Cap- 
tain Magruder  at  once  became  very  much  enraged 
at  the  insult  that  had  been  offered  the  woman, 
and  told  the  apostle  to  go  and  bring  his  wife, 
and  if  she  could  identify  the  man  who  assailed 
her,  he  should  be  punished  to  their  complete 
satisfaction. 

At  once  great  excitement  prevailed  in  our 
little  garrison :  the  offender  was  known  to  us  at 
once,  and  every  one  of  us  determined  to  shield 
him.  So  when  Kimball  returned  with  his  wife,  we 
were  ordered  to  fall  in  double  rank.  We  had  told 
the  guilty  man  to  fall  in  the  front  rank,  about  mid- 
way in  the  rank,  as  that  is  always  the  best  place 
for  a  man  to  be  who  is  looked  for. 

Captain  Magruder,  Heber  Kimball  and  wife 
started  down  the  line,  the  woman  apparently 
scanning  carefully  each  face  as  she  passed.  I 
expected  that  the  nervousness  of  the  guilty  man 
would  betray  him,  and  felt  very  much  relieved 


Mrs.  John  Sobieski. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieskl.  33 

when  he  was  passed.  They  now  began  marching 
along  the  rear  rank.  Our  lines  were  resting  right 
off  the  officers'  quarters,  when  our  chaplain — an 
Episcopal  clergyman,  a  very  dignified  man — very 
unfortunately  stepped  outside  of  his  tent. 

The  moment  the  woman's  eyes  rested  on  him 
she  became  excited,  and, pointing  her  finger  at  him, 
said:  "There  is  the  man;  he  is  the  one  that 
did  it." 

We  were  all  paralyzed  with  astonishment  for  a 
moment — men  and  officers.  Then  we  all  burst 
out  laughing.  But  you  ought  to  have  seen  the 
poor  chaplain.  He  stood  there  like  a  statue. 

After  a  while  the  commanding  officer  tried  to 
control  himself,  and  shouted,  "  Order  in  the 
ranks.  " 

The  men  drew  up  and  tried  to  contain  them- 
selves, and  then  burst  out  again.  Again  and 
again  we  laughed  and  laughed  ;  and  when  order 
was  at  last  restored,  the  chaplain  stepped  forward 
and  proved  by  all  present  that  he  had  not  been  to 
town  for  more  than  a  week.  She  now  wished 
another  trial  to  pick  out  the  offender,  but,  of  course, 
that  was  denied  her.  So  Kimball  and  she  returned 
to  the  city  very  much  outraged,  and  I  suppose 
always  believed  that  they  had  been  very  unfairly 
dealt  with. 

But  the  poor  chaplain  never  recovered  from  it. 
The  officers  continually  chaffed  him  about  it ;  and 


34  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

the  men,  when  he  was  anywhere  about,  pretending 
that  they  did  not  know  of  his  presence,  would  fall 
to  discussing  the  question  of  his  guilt  or  innocence. 
Finally,  the  one  who  was  defending  him  would 
always  give  in  and  say  :  "  I  guess  you  are  right. 
I  guess  he  must  have  done  it  ;  but  I  wouldn't  have 
thought  it.  "  Some  weeks  afterward  he  received 
a  furlough,  and  we  never  saw  him  again,  and  I 
suppose  he  never  ceased  to  regret  the  mistake  the 
woman  made  in  identifying  him  as  her  assailant. 

A  few  weeks  after  this  we  were  ordered  to  New 
Mexico,  as  the  Apache  Indians  were  threatening 
trouble  again.  On  our  arrival  at  Fort  Union,  we 
were  assured  that  everything  was  quiet  and 
no  trouble  was  apprehended.  But  a  few  morn- 
ings after  our  arrival  we  had  unmistakable  evidence 
of  their  hostility,  by  discovering  that  one  of  our 
sergeants  had  been  horribly  tortured  and  murdered 
within  a  mile  of  camp.  We  were  at  once  assembled 
and  put  upon  our  guard.  As  we  were  but  a  small 
band,  we  could  easily  be  surprised  and  massacred. 

There  was  a  still  smaller  garrison  twenty  miles 
away,  and  the  commander  desired  to  communicate 
with  them  at  once.  But  alas !  our  force  was  too 
small  to  send  a  detachment,  and  so  we  were 
assembled  and  asked  who  would  volunteer  to  carry 
a  communication  to  the  other  fort.  No  one 
seemed  to  be  anxious  to  undertake  it  except  a 
young  musician,  who  was  then  about  sixteen  years 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  35 

old,  and  he  was  permitted  to  go.  Probably 
that  which  he  thought  least  of  during  the  entire 
journey  was  Indians. 

Arriving  at  his  destination,  he  delivered  the 
papers;  and  when  he  started  to  return,  was 
informed  that  a  young  lady  would  be  placed  under 
his  protection,  to  be  conducted  to  Fort  Union.  He 
rather  demurred  to  this.  He  had  never  had  much 
acquaintance  with  the  fair  sex,  and  was  more  afraid 
of  them  than  he  was  of  the  Apache  Indians.  She 
was  a  beautiful  Spanish  girl,  the  only  daughter  of 
our  army  contractor,  -who  had  requested  that  she 
should  be  sent  back  to  Fort  Union  the  first  oppor- 
tunity. When  she  came  out  upon  her  horse,  her 
dazzling  beauty  and  electrifying  smiles  quite  cap- 
tivated the  young  bugler,  and  put  him  at  his  ease. 
Neither  one  of  them  could  talk  very  good  English, 
but  they  made  that  up  in  other  respects.  By  the 
time  they  arrived  at  the  fort,  they  had  gotten  on 
excellent  terms  with  each  other.  He  asked  per- 
mission to  visit  her,  which  was  readily  granted 

She  had  no  mother.  The  house  where  she 
lived  was  about  one  hundred  rods  from  the  fort, 
entirely  surrounded  by  a  shrubbery  peculiar  to 
that  country.  He  went  often  to  see  his  young 
lady  friend,  and  everything  went  lovely  until  the 
old  man  got  home.  He  knew  soldiers  and  had  a 
poor  opinion  of  them;  and  he  had  reasons,  too,  for 
disliking  them.  One  day  the  old  man  ordered  the 


36  Lift  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

bugler  ofj  the  premises  and  threatened  him,  if 
he  ever  caught  him  around  there  again,  that  he 
would  make  it  warm  for  him. 

Then  the  young  man  arose  in  his  wrath,  and 
with  all  the  dignity  of  a  man  of  sixteen,  said:  "As 
you  are  the  father  of  the  young  woman  whom  I 
love,  I  will  spare  you  ;  but  were  it  not  for  her,  you 
would  soon  be  sleeping  with  your  fathers." 

This  did  not  seem  to  disturb  the  old  Spaniard 
any,  and  I  think  he  slept  well  that  night;  but  the 
young  musician  didn't.  The  old  saying  is  that 
"Love  laughs  at  at  the  lock  and  key,"  and  very 
soon  the  young  lady,  with  a  pair  of  scissors,  had 
cut  a  hole  through  the  shrubbery  sufficiently  large 
for  the  young  man  to  creep  through;  and  whenever 
the  coast  was  clear  a  white  handkerchief  would  be 
displayed,  and  then  the  young  man  would  start  out 
to  see  his  girl. 

Everything  went  lovely  for  some  time;  but  one 
day,  right  amidst  a  very  interesting  visit,  the  young 
lady  gave  a  scream  and  started  lor  the  house. 
The  young  man  saw  the  old  Spaniard  bearing 
down  upon  him  with  a  big,  bright  knife  glittering 
in  his  hand.  His  first  impulse  was  to  stand  and 
fight;  but  as  he  had  nothing  to  fight  with,  he 
thought  discretion  was  the  better  part  of  valor,  so 
he  started  for  the  hole  in  the  wall,  the  old  man 
hard  after  him.  The  young  man  got  to  the  hole 
first,  and  was  about  half  through  when  the  old 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  37 

gent  got  there.  In  justice  to  the  old  man,  I'll  say 
he  did  not  attempt  to  impede  the  exit  of  the  boy  ; 
indeed,  he  assisted  him  very  materially  in  getting 
through:  but  the  young  man  never  thanked  him 
for  the  help  he  received,  for  it  put  him  in  such  a 
condition,  that  he  was  only  fit  to  serve  on  a  stand- 
ing committee  for  some  days  thereafter. 

Shortly  afterward  we  were  ordered  to  Cali- 
fornia. A  year  later,  when  we  were  ordered  back 
to  Fort  Fillmore,  the  young  man  was  now  a  year 
older,  and  declared  he  was  going  to  assert  his 
rights,  and  we  expected  there  would  be  bloodshed. 
But  when  we  arrived  at  Fort  Fillmore,  we  found 
all  cause  for  this  had  been  removed,  as  both  the 
father  and  daughter  were  dead :  they  had  been 
killed  by  the  Apache  Indians  a  few  months 
before.  I  am  very  sure  that  the  young  man 
mourned  for  weeks — yes,  for  months  and  years— 
for  the  beautiful  girl  whom  he  really  loved  ;  but 
as  for  the  old  man,  I  am  sure  he  never  wore  crape 
for  him. 


38  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Second  enlistment — Ordered  to  Fort  Leavenworth — News  of 
Lincoln's  election — Ordered  East  with  Lieutenant  Armistead  on  recruit- 
ing service — Brooklyn,  New  York — Dr.  Van  Dyke's  great  sermon  in 
defense  of  slavery- — Hear  Henry  Ward  Beecher  reply — Hear  Wendell 
Phillips  on  John  Brown's  death — Ordered  to  Washington — Closing 
scenes  in  American  Congress  before  Lincoln's  inauguration — Inaugu- 
ration of  Mr.  Lincoln — Beginning  of  the  Civil  War. 

On  the  26th  of  April,  1860,  I  entered  upon  my 
second  enlistment  in  the  United  States  army.  I 
was  given  a  furlough  of  thirty  days,  but  got  tired 
of  it  at  the  end  of  two  weeks  and  returned  to  duty. 

My  company  was  then  ordered  to  Fort  Leaven- 
worth,  where  we  arrived  on  the  llth  of  November. 
The  next  day  came  the  news  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  elec- 
tion to  the  presidency.  Mr.  Lincoln  had  been 
elected  more  than  a  week  before,  but  it  had  required 
all  that  time  for  the  news  to  reach  the  Missouri 
River.  At  this  period  there  were  no  railroads  nor 
telegraphs  to  speak  of  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
none  at  all  west  of  the  Missouri.  I  shall  never  for- 
get the  sensation  that  Mr.  Lincoln's  election  crea- 
ted. Not  more  than  one  or  two  at  the  fort  sym- 
pathized with  his  political  views.  I  had  never 
before  heard  politics  discussed  in  the  army  ;  but 
now  the  discussion  became  fierce  between  those 
who  were  in  favor  of  sustaining  the  national 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  39 

government  and  those  who  were  defending  South 
Carolina  for  taking  steps  to  secede  from  the  Union. 

Right  amidst  the  discussion,  orders  came  for 
Lieutenant  Armistead  to  go  East  and  recruit 
our  battery  up  to  its  full  complement  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-three  men.  Our  battery  had  been 
converted  into  a  fine  artillery.  Our  first  point  was 
Brooklyn,  New  York.  We  arrived  there  the  1st  of 
December. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday.  I  accompanied 
my  lieutenant  that  Sunday  to  church.  It  was  the 
first  time  I  had  ever  been  in  a  Protestant  church. 
It  was  a  Presbyterian  church:  Dr.  Van  Dyke  was 
the  pastor.  He  preached  a  sort  of  thanksgiving 
sermon  that  day  in  defense,  of  slavery.  His  text 
was  taken  from  Jeremiah  1:14,  from  these  words: 
"  Out  of  the  north  an  evil  shall  break  forth  upon 
the  inhabitants  of  the  land.  "  His  church  was  one 
of  the  richest  and  most  fashionable  in  Brooklyn, 
and  Dr.  Van  Dyke  was  a  very  learned  and  eloquent 
speaker.  He  boldly  defended  slavery,  denounced 
abolitionism,  and  declared  that  slavery  was  a  moral, 
social  and  political  blessing,  and  a  divine  insti- 
tution ;  and  he  said  every  word  spoken  against 
slavery  was  a  sin,  and  a  reflection  on  God's  holy 
word  and  his  divine  religion. 

I  shall  never  forget  this,  my  first  Thanksgiving 
time  in  America.  Indeed,  I  can  say  that  the  first 
public  Thanksgiving  I  ever  knew  anything  about 


40  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

was  in  New  York,  in  1860.  Thanksgiving  day, 
then,  was  quite  different  from  what  it  is  now.  Now, 
the  same  day  is  observed  by  common  consent 
throughout  the  entire  Republic,  in  every  State  and 
Territory,  North  and  South.  Then,  Thanksgiving 
day  was  not  observed  in  any  of  the  States  in  the 
South,  and  only  in  those  States  in  the  North  where 
the  people,  to  more  or  less  extent,  were  of  New 
England  or  Puritan  origin.  Therefore,  Thanks- 
giving was  held  all  along  from  the  first  of  Novem- 
ber to  the  middle  of  December.  In  New  York  it 
was  customary  for  the  mayor  of  New  York  city  to 
appoint  a  Thanksgiving  day,  usually  fixing  the 
same  day  that  had  been  selected  by  the  governor. 

On  this  occasion  I  refer  to  in  1860,  Fernando 
Wood,  the  distinguished  Democratic  leader  of 
those  days,  was  the  mayor  of  New  York  city. 
In  his  proclamation  he  rather  impiously  said,  that 
in  obedience  to  the  usual  custom,  he  would  desig- 
nate a  day  for  Thanksgiving  and  praise  for  those 
who  thought  they  had  any  special  reasons  for  feel- 
ing thankful  to  God  for  the  situation  that  confronted 
them.  With  an  abolitionist  elected  President  and 
the  party  of  disunion  triumphant,  and  with  a  civil 
war  impending,  he  thought  it  called  for  a  day  of 
fasting  and  humiliation  instead  of  Thanksgiving. 

The  Sunday  before  that  Thanksgiving,  as  I 
have  said,  Dr.  Van  Dyke  had  preached  his  cele- 
brated sermon  in  defense  of  human  slavery. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  41 

The  Sunday  following-  I  heard  Henry  Ward 
Beecher  preach  for  the  first  time.  Mr.  Beecher 
at  that  time  was  in  his  zenith  of  power  and  fame. 
While  his  sermon  was  not  intended  to  be  a  reply  to 
Dr.  Van  Dyke's,  yet  it  was  practically  a  reply  to 
that  divine,  and  also  a  reply  to  Mayor  Wood's 
Thanksgiving-  proclamation.  After  enumerating 
many  reasons  we  had  for  thanksgiving-  to  God  for 
his  blessing-s,  Mr.  Beecher,  with  his  fist  clinched, 
reached  the  climax  of  his  great  sermon  by  rushing 
to  the  side  of  his  platform  with  eyes  that  blazed  like 
meteors,  as  he  shouted  in  clarion  tones  that  seemed 
almost  to  shake  the  oreat  building  : 

o  o 

"  Another  reason,  and  the  best  of  all,  we  have 
to  thank  God  that  freedom  has  at  last  won  a  vic- 
tory at  the  ballot  box,  and  upon  the  4th  day  of 
next  March  our  government,  for  the  first  time,  will 
be  administered  in  the  interest  of  human  liberty 
instead  of  human  slavery." 

When  the  great  preacher  had  thus  spoken,  the 
vast  audience  was  silent  for  almost  half  a  minute, 
and  then  the  people  broke  out  in  most  rapturous 
applause,  that  shook  the  immense  church  from 
pillar  to  rafter.  It  was  a  scene  I  can  never  forget. 

When  I  went  to  New  York,  I  had  supposed  that 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  an  abolitionist,  and  also  the 
party  which  had  elected  him,  as  I  had  always  heard 
that  party  and  Mr.  Lincoln  spoken  of  as  being- 
abolitionists.  But  a  day  or  two  after  my  arrival  in 


42  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

New  York,  I  read  in  the  New  York  Times  an 
editorial  denouncing  abolitionists,  and  yet  I  found 
the  same  paper  was  a  Republican  paper.  It  puz- 
zled me :  I  could  not  understand  it. 

At  my  boarding-house  I  had  become  acquainted 
with  a  very  intelligent  gentleman,  whom  I  knew  to 
be  a  very  strong  Republican.  I  asked  him  to 
explain  the  matter  to  me.  He  was  very  much 
amused  at  my  verdancy  in  political  matters.  He 
assured  me  that  the  Republican  party  was  not  an 
abolition  party  ;  and  while  he  had  always  voted  the 
Republican  ticket,  yet  he  had  no  sympathy  at  all 
with  the  abolitionists.  He  said  he  would  regard 
it  as  the  greatest  calamity  in  the  world — the  abol- 
ishment of  slavery.  He  said  the  Republican  party 
only  proposed  to  keep  slavery  out  of  the  territo- 
ries, and  thus  keep  free  labor  from  being  contami- 
nated and  degraded:  at  the  same  time,  he  admit- 
ted that,  now  that  Kansas  had  been  admitted  into 
the  Union,  there  was  no  territory  where  slavery 
was  likely  to  go  anyhow.  I  was  beginning,  now, 
to  get  an  idea  of  American  politics.  He  said 
there  were  a  few  abolitionists  in  the  country,  like 
Wendell  Phillips,  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  Stephen 
Foster,  and  Parker  Pillsbury ;  but  they  were  per- 
sons of  no  influence  at  all,  and  scarcely  amounted 
to  a  cipher. 

A  few  nights  after  this,  I  went  over  to  New 
York,  accompanied  by  a  friend  of  mine,  to  attend 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  43 

an  anniversary  of  John  Brown's  death.  When  we 
arrived  at  the  hall  where  the  meeting  was  to  be 
held,  we  found  it  surrounded  by  a  mob.  It  was 
not  by  any  means  an  ideal  mob;  the  men  were 
dressed  in^their  broad-cloth,  and  their  looks  indi- 
cated that  they  belonged  to  what  we  call  the 
"upper  class."  The  mob  was  being  kept  out  of 
the  hall  by  the  police.  As  I  and  my  friend  were 
dressed  in  United  States  uniform,  they  permitted 
us  to  pass  in. 

In  a  hall  that  would  hold  perhaps  fifteen  hun- 
dred people,  we  found  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five,  who  were  quietly  sitting  there. 
Shortly  after  we  had  taken  our  seats,  the  curtain 
rose,  and  out  walked  Wendell  Phillips  and  several 
other  distinguished  abolitionists.  As  soon  as  he 
came  out  upon  the  platform,  the  rioters,  who  had 
now  gained  access  to  the  hall,  began  their  dis- 
turbances in  the  corridors  and  galleries.  Mr. 
Phillips  was  now  introduced  to  the  audience.  I 
remember  my  disappointment  in  some  respects. 
I  expected  to  see  a  stout,  red-faced,  vehement 
orator ;  but  instead  there  stood  before  me  a  man 
about  forty  or  forty-five  years  of  age — as  hand- 
some a  man,  I  think,  as  I  ever  saw.  He  was  per- 
haps six  feet  high,  with  a  refined,  scholarly  face, 
and  a  Roman  nose. 

He  stood  for  a  moment  with  his  hand  upon  the 
desk,  and  attempted  to  begin  his  speech  by  say- 


44  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

ing,  "  Gentlemen."  But  that  moment  the  crowd 
began  their  noise ;  shrieking,  stamping,  singing 
and  braying.  The  police  contented  themselves 
with  preventing  the  mob  from  entering  the  par- 
quet, where  those  who  wished  to  hear  were  seated. 
For  more  than  an  hour  Mr.  Phillips  battled  with 
the  mob  ;  but  he  reserved  his  force,  while  they 
were  exhausting  theirs.  After  awhile  his  splendid 
voice  rose  above  the  din  of  the  noise,  and  after  a 
time  the  mob  became  silent  :  he  had  conquered 
them.  And  then  for  more  than  an  hour  he  was 
the  master.  He  poured  upon  the  friends  of  slavery 
his  scorn,  his  invectives  and  sarcasm.  It  was 
grape  and  canister,  solid  shot  and  shell,  and  Greek 
fire — all  combined.  He  glorified  John  Brown  as  the 
greatest  martyr  of  his  age  ;  no  words  that  he  could 
use  in  his  eulogy  were  rich  enough  :  and  he 
declared  prophetically  that  his  death  had  begun  a 
struggle  that  would  not  end  until  slavery  was 
ended. 

I  met  Mr.  Phillips  years  afterward  in  Bloom- 
ington,  Illinois,  where  he  was  to  give  a  lecture  in 
the  regular  course.  The  lecture  was  on  Saturday 
night.  He  was  to  stay  in  Bloomington  over 
Sunday.  The  lodge  of  Good  Templars  in  that 
city,  of  which  I  was  a  member,  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  wait  upon  him  to  ask  him  to  speak  upon 
the  temperance  question.  Two  of  the  committee 
were  Democrats,  and  very  much  prejudiced 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  45 

against  him.  But  he  received  us  very  graciously, 
readily  consenting  to  speak  gratuitously,  only 
making  this  condition  :  that  no  announcement 
should  be  made  until  Sunday,  as  it  might  be  a 
detriment  to  the  lecture  committee.  As  we  were 
about  to  retire,  he  asked  us  to  remain  longer;  he 
said  he  was  always  glad  to  meet  young  men  who 
were  interested  in  a  reform  of  any  kind.  I  had 
become  the  spokesman  of  the  committee.  I  told 
him  I  had  heard  him  in  New  York  at  the  time  of 
the  John  Brown  meeting. 

He  said,  "I  remember  you  well ;  as  you  were 
dressed  in  United  States  uniform,  you  attracted 
my  attention." 

His  conversation  was  so  charming,  that  when 
we  retired,  he  had  captured  us  all,  and  especially 
the  two  young  Democrats  who  were  so  bitterly 
opposed  to  him.  On  the  following  night  he  deliv- 
ered an  address  on  temperance  to  a  crowded  house, 
and  delighted  all. 

Mr.  Phillips,  unquestionably,  was  the  greatest 
orator  America  ever  produced.  He  dedicated  the 
wonderful  powers  with  which  God  had  endowed 
him  to  righting  wrongs,  defending  the  right  ;  and 
no  just  cause,  however  poor  and  unpopular,  but 
that  he  advocated,  even  at  the  expense  of  his 
financial  interests  and  social  standing.  He  was 
against  slavery ;  was  for  woman  suffrage,  even 
when  it  was  more  unpopular  than  abolition  ;  he 


46  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

championed  the  cause  of  Ireland  even  more 
eloquently  than  Daniel  O'Connell  himself;  he 
opposed  capital  punishment,  and  demanded  its 
abolishment ;  he  pleaded  for  prison  reforms  ;  he 
pleaded  for  the  abolishment  of  imprisonment  for 
debt;  he  pleaded  for  monetary  reform;  his  patri- 
otism was  broader  than  his  own  country ;  he  might 
well  say,  as  another  great  American  said,  "The 
world  is  my  country,  and  to  do  good  my  religion." 
Although  he,  for  so  many  years,  was  regarded 
as  the  South's  great  foe,  yet  at  the  close  of  the 
rebellion,  while  he  favored  the  reconstruction 
measures  and  insisted  upon  negro  enfranchise- 
ment in  the  South, — in  which  I  think  he  erred, — 
nevertheless,  he  opposed  everything  like  vindic- 
tive punishment  of  the  Southern  people  ;  and  of  all 
the  reformers  of  this  century,  Wendell  Phillips  was 
the  greatest  Roman  of  them  all. 

We  were  now  ordered  to  Washington.  Rumors 
of  trouble  to  occur  in  Washington  on  the  occasion 
of  Mr.  Lincoln's  inauguration  had  induced  Gen- 
eral Scott  to  call  to  Washington  all  the  regular 
troops  that  could  possibly  be  obtained  ;  and,  as  we 
had  secured  our  full  complement  of  men,  we  were 
ordered  to  report  in  Washington  on  the  morning 
of  March  the  1st. 

We  found  the  Capitol  city  full  of  excitement. 
The  members  of  the  outgoing  administration  were 
leaving  the  city,  and  the  Southern  families  were 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  47 

also  going,   so  as  to    avoid   being  present  at  the 
inauguration. 

I  had  never  been  in  Washington  before,  and  as 
it  is  the  capital  of  the  country,  I  was  all  alert  to 
see  and  hear  everything  that  I  could.  I  was  at 
that  time  nineteen  years  old,  just  at  the  age  when 
young  men  or  boys  like  to  see  everything  and 
learn  everything.  The  first  thing  of  all  I  wished 
to  see  was  Congress  ;  and  by  the  kindness  of  the 
commanding  officer  of  my  battery,  I  was  permitted 
to  go  up  to  the  Capitol  building  every  day.  The 
first  place  I  went  to  visit  was  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States. 

The  Vice-President  at  that  time  was  John  C. 
Breckinridge.  His  appearance  attracted  me  at 
once.  He  was  the  ideal  Southerner  in  appearance  ; 
the  very  personification  of  grace  and  ease.  At  that 
time  he  was  not  quite  forty  years  of  age.  He  had 
come  from  one  of  the  most  celebrated  families  in  the 
United  States  ;  his  ancestors  had  all  been  distin- 
guished from  the  earliest  days  of  the  Republic.  H  is 
father  had  been  a  Senator  and  in  the  cabinet  of 
President  Jefferson.  He  himself  had  served  in 
Mexico  as  a  major,  winning  a  fine  reputation.  He 
had  redeemed  the  Ashland  district — Henry  Clay's 
old  district — from  the  Whigs,  and  made  for  himself 
such  a  reputation  that  he  had  been  nominated  for 
Vice-President  on  the  same  ticket  with  Mr.  Buch- 
anan, when  he  had  barely  arrived  at  the  constitu- 


48  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

tional  age  of  thirty-five;  and  he  gained  fame  rapidly 
while  Vice-President,  and  was  nominated  by  the 
Southern  wing  of  the  Democratic  party  for  the 
presidency,  in  18(30.  He  had  stood  second  to  Mr. 
Lincoln  in  the  electoral  college  ;  he  had  already 
been  elected  United  States  Senator  from  Kentucky 
for  six  years,  and  was  sworn  in  as  United  States 
Senator  the  day  Mr.  Lincoln  was  inaugurated.  He 
returned  to  Washington  and  took  part  in  the  extra 
session  of  Congress,  and  made  a  very  bold  and  able 
speech  in  defense  of  the  Confederate  cause;  resigned 
his  seat,  entered  the  Confederate  army  as  a  major- 
general,  and  finally  was  made  Secretary  of  War  by 
President  Davis.  At  the  close  of  the  rebellion  he 
succeeded  in  making  his  escape.  After  a  year  or 
two  abroad,  he  returned  to  the  United  States, 
dying  at  Lexington,  Kentucky,  in  1874.  It  was 
said  that  his  death  was  hastened  by  that  which 
has  hastened  the  death  of  so  many  other  brilliant 
men — strong  drink. 

The  great  debate  in  Congress  during  those  last 
days  of  that  session  was  on  the  adoption  of  what 
was  known  as  the  Crittenden  Peace  Compromise. 
It  was  advocated  by  Crittenden  of  Kentucky, 
Douglas  of  Illinois,  Johnson  of  Tennessee,  Corwin 
of  Pennsylvania,  Dixon  of  Connecticut,  Green  of 
Missouri.  It  was  opposed  by  Trumbull  of  Illinois, 
Hale  of  New  Hampshire,  Chandler  of  Michigan. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  49 

It  was  adopted,  but  nothing  came  of  it,  as  the  war 
soon  broke  out. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  hear  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  speak.  Douglas  spoke  on  the  2nd  ot 
March  and  Green  on  the  3rd  of  that  month.  I 
was  very  much  interested  in  Mr.  Douglas,  as  he 
had  been  the  candidate  of  the  Northern  wing  of 
his  party  for  the  presidency.  He  was  at  that  time 
forty-seven  years  old — a  very  handsome  man  ; 
rather  short  of  stature,  but  well  proportioned  ;  had 
a  very  large  head,  with  a  mass  of  dark  brown  hair 
inclining  to  be  curly.  His  voice  was  sweet,  full, 
and  clear.  He  had  the  attention  of  the  entire 
Senate,  and  the  galleries  were  filled  as  full  as  they 
could  be  packed.  He  lived  only  a  few  months 
after  this,  dying  the  following  June.  He  devoted 
the  last  months  of  his  life  in  rallying  his  country- 
men in  defense  of  the  national  flag. 

The  next  day  the  great  Senator  from  Missouri 
(Green)  spoke.  As  soon  as  he  arose  to  speak 
the  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives  came 
flocking  over  to  the  Senate,  completely  filling  the 
chamber.  I  remember  seeing  clustered  around 
his  seat  while  he  was  speaking,  Senator  Douglas, 
Senator  Andrew  Johnson  of  Tennessee,  Senator 
Seward  of  New  York,  Senator  Wilson  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  Wade  of  Ohio,  He  was  a  man  of 
marvelous  oratorical  powers  and  transcendent  abili- 
ties. I  shall  never  forget  that  great  speech;  it 


50  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

was  thrilling  in  the  extreme.  That  closed  the 
great  debate  upon  that  question.  You  might  say 
it  closed  an  epoch  in  our  country's  history. 

The  next  day  Mr.  Lincoln  was  inaugurated. 
The  day  dawned  bright,  clear,  and  crisp.  At  noon 
the  carriage  containing  President  Buchanan  and 
Lincoln  drove  down  to  the  Capitol  building.  I  saw 
then,  for  the  first  time,  the  President  of  the  United 
States  and  the  President-elect.  One  could  not 
imagine  greater  contrast  than  those  two  men  pre- 
sented. Mr.  Buchanan  at  that  time  was  some- 
thing over  seventy  years  of  age,  tall  and  handsome 
in  appearance.  His  career  had  been  a  successful 
one  :  he  had  been  a  member  of  both  branches  of 
the  State  legislature;  he  had  been  a  member  of 
the  lower  house  of  Congress  for  several  terms  ; 
three  times  he  had  been  elected  United  States 
Senator  from  Pennsylvania;  minister  to  Russia 
under  President  Jackson  ;  Secretary  of  State  under 
President  Polk  ;  minister  to  England  under  Presi- 
dent Pierce;  four  years  President  of  the  United 
States; — it  seems  that  all  of  his  ambitions  had 
been  satisfied.  He  was  closing  his  administration 
in  the  tumult  of  secession  and  revolution.  He  has 
been  very  much  censured,  yet  I  am  satisfied,  when 
everything  is  considered, — his  age,  his  environ- 
ments,— that  future  historians  will  say  he  did 
the  best  that  he  could. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  51 

Mr.  Lincoln,  as  I  saw  him  that  March  morning 
for  the  first  time,  seemed  tall,  awkward,  and 
shambling  in  his  appearance,  his  face  plain  to 
ugliness;  yet,  while  he  was  speaking,  delivering 
his  inaugural,  there  seemed  to  be  some  sort  of  a 
transformation.  He  appeared  so  sincere,  so  true, 
so  honest  and  sensible,  that  from  that  moment  I 
had  a  faith  in  him  which  never  wavered. 

My  battery  was  lying  out  near  Brightwood.  I 
used  to  go  into  the  city  almost  every  day.  Hardly 
anybody  thought  there  would  be  war.  Though 
another  government  had  been  organized  and 
foreign  ministers  appointed,  still  people  thought 
it  would  blow  over  without  bloodshed.  It  all 
seems  so  strange  to  us  now — almost  incredible. 
But  one  morning  news  was  brought  to  the  camp 
that  startled  us  all — I7ort  Sumter,  in  Charleston 
Harbor,  had  been  fired  upon.  The  next  day 
came  news  of  its  surrender;  and  at  last  it  burst 
upon  our  minds  that  war — grim  war — was  upon  us, 
and,  worst  of  all,  civil  war ! 


52  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Washington  after  the  surrender  of  Fort  Sumter — Manifestation 
everywhere  of  Southern  sympathy — Entrance  of  Northern  troops — 
Change  of  public  sentiment — Gathering  of  the  Union  army — Organiz- 
ing the  army — Marching  into  Virginia — Battle  of  Bull  Run — Our 
defeat — Retreat  to  Washington — Demoralization  of  the  army  and  people. 

That  night,  after  the  news  of  the  surrender  of 
Fort  Sumter,  there  was  a  consultation  in  the  quar- 
ters of  Captain  Magruder,  and  the  next  morning 
three  of  our  officers  went  into  the  city  and  placed 
their  resignations  in  the  hands  of  the  Secretary  of 
War,  and  we  saw  them  no  more.  Public  senti- 
ment in  Washington  seemed  to  be  all  one  way.  I 
heard  everywhere  expressions  of  sympathy  for  the 
Southern  Confederacy,  and  even  cheers  for 
Jefferson  Davis  and  the  Southern  cause. 

My  captain  came  to  me  the  morning  he 
went  into  the  city,  and  urged  me  to  go  with  him 
and  join  the  Southern  cause.  He  complimented 
me  by  telling  me  that  I  was  a  thorough  soldier 
and  could  command  his  batteries  as  well  as  he  or 
anybody,  and  that  he  would  guarantee  me  a  com- 
mission at  once  ;  but  I  reminded  him  that  I  could 
not  resign ;  that  I  was  an  enlisted  man  and  was 
bound  to  the  general  government  for  four  years 
more. 

He  said,  "  Oh,  the  government  be  d !" 

that  it  had  all  "  gone  to  h /'and  the  Southern 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  53 

army  would  be  in  Washington  before  two  weeks. 
I  told  him  I  did  not  know  anything  about 
the  merits  of  the  question  which  brought  about 
secession  and  war  ;  but  the  way  I  looked  upon  the 
matter,  my  duty  was  plain  :  that  I  had  come  to 
this  country  an  exile,  without  home  or  country  ; 
the  United  States  had  given  me  both,  and  I  should 
be  forever  true  to  the  government  of  my  adoption : 
wherever  the  flag  went,  I  should  go  ;  and  if  it  went 
down  in  defeat  and  disaster,  I  would  go  with 
it.  He  then  sadly  bade  me  good-bye,  and  said 
he  appreciated  my  scruples  and  feeling  of  grati- 
tude, mistaken  as  he  believed  I  was. 

Captain  Magruder  was  a  good  man,  warm- 
hearted and  generous,  thoroughly  devoted  to  his 
native  State,  Virginia.  For  six  years  he  had  been 
almost  a  father  to  me,  and  it  made  me  sad  to  leave 
him.  The  last  time  I  met  him  was  in  1870 — 
a  broken  man  in  every  way.  When  I  told  him 
I  had  come  two  hundred  miles  out  of  my  way 
to  see  him,  he  thanked  me  warmly  for  the  esteem 
which  I  still  held  for  him.  We  talked  over  old 
times  together.  He  mentioned  the  incident  I 
have  just  given :  I  was  in  hopes  he  had  forgotten 
it.  He  told  me  that  I  had  acted  the  wiser  part, 
though  he  said  he  had  acted  conscientiously  in  the 
matter  at  the  time.  I  did  not  doubt  that.  He 
lived  only  a  few  months  after  this  interview. 


54  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

On  the  fifth  day  after  the  surrender  of  Fort 
Sumter,  if  my  memory  serves  me  correctly,  volun- 
teer troops  began  to  arrive  at  Washington ;  and 
how  quick  public  sentiment  began  to  change.  It 
was  as  sudden  as  a  burst  of  sunshine  after  a 
thunder-storm.  I  shall  never  forget  the  day  that 
the  first  Northern  regiment  arrived.  I  think  it 
was  the  Sixth  New  York.  Way  down  Pennsyl- 
vania Avenue  we  heard  a  band  playing.  We  soon 
caught  the  notes:  it  was  the  "Star  Spangled 
Banner."  And  then  we  began  to  hear  the  cheer- 
ing of  the  people.  It  was  a  crack  New  York  regi- 
ment, composed  of  the  sons  of  leading  citizens, 
finely  dressed,  finely  equipped,  and  finely  drilled. 
What  a  splendid  appearance  they  made ! 

Within  the  next  few  weeks  at  least  fifty  thous- 
and men  came  into  the  District  of  Columbia ;  and 
all,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  regiments  of  State 
militia,  were  raw  men  who  had  come  from  the 
workshops,  the  farms,  the  school-room,  the  store, 
— indeed,  from  everywhere  ;  men  of  every  calling 
and  occupation,  except  the  brewer,  the  distiller, 
the  saloon-keeper — I  did  not  hear  of  their  coming; 
but  everybody  else  came.  Splendid  material  to 
make  soldiers  of;  but  they  had  to  be  made  soldiers 
"  from  the  ground  up,"  as  the  saying  is.  Not  one 
in  ten  thousand  had  ever  seen  a  soldier  ;  hardly 
knew  a  ramrod  from  a  knitting-needle.  They 
used  to  afford  us  of  the  regulars  a  good  deal  of 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  55 

amusement  in  witnessing"  their  drill,  for  the 
officers  seemed  to  be  more  awkward  than  the  men 
themselves.  Among-  the  first  things  that  a  soldier 
learns  is  his  facing,  and  marking  time  ;  so  you'll 
hear  the  drill  sergeant  say,  "  Right,  left ;  right, 
left."  So  we  used  to  say  they  didn't  know  their 
right  foot  from  their  left,  and  they'd  have  to  bind 
hay  on  one  foot  and  straw  on  the  other,  and  say, 
"  Hay-foot,  straw-foot  ;  hay-foot,  straw-foot."  But 
they  had  something  better  than  drill,  better  than 
discipline  ;  that  was  their  patriotism,  their  enthusi- 
asm for  their  cause.  They  were  the  nucleus  of 
the  grandest  army  that  was  ever  organized  or  led, 
the  Volunteer  Army  of  the  Union. 

I  remember  witnessing  an  amusing  incident 
just  before  we  marched  into  Virginia.  Near  where 
we  were  encamped  was  a  regiment  of  volunteers. 
I  was  out  one  day  witnessing  a  lieutenant  drill  his 
company.  They  had  gotten  sufficiently  advanced, 
now,  so  that  they  did  pretty  well.  That  morning 
there  had  been  a  thunder-storm,  and  there  had 
been  quite  a  heavy  fall  of  rain.  In  the  middle  of 
the  drill  ground  was  a  slight  depression,  and  the 
captain  had  his  men  going  at  a  double  quick  ;  he 
espied  this  water,  and  knew  a  part  of  his  line 
would  pass  through  it.  Military  words  had  not 
become  familiar  to  him  yet,  so,  instead  of  obliquing 
his  men,  or  halting  and  right-abouting  them  (  I 
presume  he  had  been  a  teamster  a  few  weeks 


56  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

before),  he  shouted  to  his  men :  "  Haw  !  haw  ! 
haw!"  It  did  just  as  well;  the  men  understood 
it,  but  it  was  hardly  military. 

A  few  days  afterward  we  marched  into  Vir- 
ginia, and  then  out  toward  Manassas  or  Bull  Run. 

I  wonder  if  an  army  ever  went  forth  to  battle 
as  that  army  did.  It  was  composed  of  forty-five 
thousand  men.  We  thought  it  was  a  mighty 
army — and  to  us  it  was.  It  was  three  times  larger 
than  any  American  army  that  had  ever  gone  forth 
to  battle  before.  Most  of  them  were  young  men. 
I  presume  ninety  per  cent  were  under  twenty-five 
years  of  age  ;  full  of  enthusiasm,  life,  song,  and 
mirth.  We  expected  a  little  brush  with  the 
"  Johnnie  Rebs,"  as  we  called  them,  but  we  ex- 
pected to  easily  dispose  of  them  and  march 
proudly  on. 

But,  alas  !  how  few  of  us  ever  entered  Rich- 
mond.  It  was  more  than  twenty  years  before  I 
did  ;  and  when  I  did  enter  Richmond,  I  went  there 
as  a  soldier  in  another  army.  I  went  there  fight- 
ing a  more  destructive  foe  than  the  one  we 
met  at  Manassas  :  I  went  there  as  a  helper  and  a 
friend,  to  save  the  homes  of  that  beautiful  city  from 
the  devastation  of  the  liquor  traffic. 

As  the  battle  of  Bull  Run  is  now  a  matter  of  his- 
tory, 1  shall  not  take  space  in  this  small  volume 
to  describe  it. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  57 

On  our  retreat  the  night  of  the  battle,  we  came 
to  a  place  where  the  road  had  become  choked  up  by 
different  obstructions,  and  they  were  trying  to  clear 
the  way  so  our  artillery  could  pass,  to  prevent  it 
from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  A  stray 
private  soldier  was  making  his  way  back  to  Wash- 
ington. He  was  the  tallest  man  I  ever  saw.  He 
looked  more  like  a  pair  of  tongs  than  anything  else 
I  could  think  of;  he  actually  looked  as  though  his 
legs  began  right  under  his  chin.  And  he  was  the 
most  disgusted  looking  man  I  ever  met.  Throw- 
ing himself  down  on  the  earth  where  several  of  us 
were  lying,  in  the  idiom  peculiar  to  a  New  Eng- 
lander,  he  said  :  "Gol  darn  it,  I  won't  run  another 
step  to-day." 

Some  one  said  to  him,  "You  had  better  run, 
and  run  now,  for  the  black-horse  cavalry  will  be 
along  here  in  a  few  minutes." 

He  said,  "I  don't  care  for  the  black-horse 
cavalry  or  any  other  cavalry  ;  I  would  not  run 
another  step  for  Jeff  Davis  and  the  whole  Southern 
Confederacy." 

A  few  minutes  afterward  a  shout  came  up  from 
the  rear,  warning  us  of  the  approach  of  the 
black-horse  cavalry,  and  I  tell  you  there  was 
clearing  out  of  that  road  pretty  quick.  Our 
Yankee  friend  rose  to  his  feet  with  alacrity, 
gave  one  disgusted  look  toward  the  rear,  and 
started  on  a  run  that  would  have  done  credit  to  a 


58  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

jack-rabbit.      I  do  not  believe  he  stopped  until  he 
arrived  at  his  Green  Mountain  home. 

The  next  day  at  two  o'clock  we  entered  Wash- 
ington, and  passed  through  her  streets  out  to  our  old 
camping  ground  at  Brightwood.  Utter  demorali- 
zation reigned.  No  one  seemed  to  have  a  com- 
mand ;  no  one  seemed  to  care  for  command.  The 
few  regular  troops  alone  kept  together,  and  had 
brought  away  with  them  their  arms  and  accouter- 
ments.  Washington  was  full  of  saloons,  and  they 
alone  seemed  to  be  in  high  glee  and  reaping  a  rich 
harvest.  A  thousand  men  could  have  charged 
across  Long  Bridge  and  have  captured  the  city.  It 
was  the  darkest  day  for  our  cause  during  that 
terrible  conflict. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  59 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Arrival  of  General  McClellan  at  Washington — Bringing  order 
out  of  chaos  —  Preparation  for  the  defense  of  the  city — Complete 
defensive  works  erected  about  the  city — Lincoln  calls  for  five  hundred 
thousand  men — General  McClellan  made  the  commander-in-chief  of  the 

army Organization  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac — Peninsular  campaign 

Our  arrival    at    Fortress    Monroe — Battle    between    the    Monitor  and 

the  Merrimac. 

General  McClellan  was  called  to  Washington 
and  placed  in  command  of  Washington  city.  The 
first  thing  he  did  was  to  close  the  saloons  of  the 
city;  the  next  was  to  establish  rendezvous  for  the 
army,  sending  out  patrols  to  pick  up  scattered  men. 
Then  began  the  preparation  to  put  Washington  in 
a  defensive  condition.  Ditches  were  dug,  fortifi- 
cations were  erected,  and  in  a  short  time  Washing- 
ton had  been  made  impregnable  against  any  pos- 
sible attack  that  could  at  that  time  have  been 
made  against  it. 

Now,  for  the  first  time,  Mr.  Lincoln  began  to 
realize  that  there  was  really  war  in  the  land  :  not 
a  little  insurrection  that  would  blow  over  in  ninety 
days,  but  a  mighty  and  terrible  war  that  would 
tax  all  the  resources  of  the  nation.  So  he  issued 
a  call  for  five  hundred  thousand  men,  to  serve  for 
three  years,  or  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Soon 
these  fresh  levies  began  to  come  into  Washington 
by  the  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands.  They 


6o  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

were  taken  in  hand  and  disciplined,   and  were  pre- 
pared for  the  great  work  that  was  before  them. 

At  this  juncture  General  Scott  resigned  his 
command  and  retired.  General  Scott  was  one  of 
the  greatest  men  our  country  ever  produced. 
Born  in  the  State  of  Virginia,  he  began  his  life  as 
a  lawyer.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  with  Great 
Britain  in  1812,  he  entered  the  army,  and  remained 
in  continuous  service  until  November,  1861,  a 
period  of  forty-nine  years  ;  the  longest  time  of  any 
great  general  who  has  served  in  our  army  on  the 
active  lists  before  or  since.  He  had  won  a  brilliant 
reputation  in  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  and  was 
ever  known  thereafter  as  the  hero  of  Lundy's  Lane. 
Afterward,  in  service  in  Florida  and  on  the  plains 
he  showed  his  efficiency.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
war  with  Mexico,  he  was  soon  placed  in  command 
of  our  entire  force  in  that  country,  and  in  his 
march  from  Vera  Cruz  he  showed  a  genius  which 
has  never  been  excelled  by  any  war  captain  in  the 
world.  Marching  his  army  for  almost  a  thousand 
miles  over  blistering  plains,  fighting  a  dozen 
battles  of  more  or  less  magnitude,  outnumbered 
three  to  one  in  every  contest,  the  foe  at  times 
commanded  by  the  President  of  the  Republic  ot 
Mexico,  General  Santa  Anna,  Mexico's  most 
renowned  soldier,  he  won  every  battle,  and  planted 
the  flag  over  the  halls  of  Montezuma.  Though 
his  army  was  composed  mostly  of  volunteers,  he 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  61 

accomplished  in  less  than  a  year  what  it  took  more 
than  two  years  for  the  French  army  of  more  than 
ten  times  his  number — drilled,  disciplined  troops 
and  veterans — to  accomplish. 

He  was  the  Whig  candidate  for  President  in 
1852,  against  Franklin  Pierce.  He  was  the  most 
magnificent  looking  man  I  ever  saw.  Among  the 
ancient  Greeks  and  Romans  he  would  have  been 
worshiped  as  a  God.  He  was  six  feet,  seven 
inches  high,  well  proportioned  in  every  way.  He 
weighed  about  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds. 
I  remember  I  used  to  go  blocks  and  blocks  out  of 
my  way  to  get  a  chance  to  see  him.  A  great 
admirer,  as  I  am,  of  beauty  in  either  man  or  woman, 
and  realizing  General  Scolt's  great  reputation  as  a 
soldier,  I  felt  almost  like  worshiping  him.  Indeed, 
I  think  we  could  all  say  of  him,  "He  was 
Winfield  Scott,  the  magnificent.  "  He  died  in  the 
summer  of  1866,  full  of  honor  and  of  years. 

General  George  B.  McClellan  was  now  placed 
in  command.  He  took  this  raw  material  of  our 
volunteers,  organizing  them  into  armies  both  East 
and  West.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1862  he  was 
relieved  of  the  chief  command,  that  he  might 
assume  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
in  person. 

It  had  been  determined  to  approach  Richmond 
by  the  way  of  the  peninsula,  so  we  left  Washing- 


62  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

ton  the  27th  of  February,  arriving  at  Fortress 
Monroe  on  the  4th  of  March. 

The  next  Sunday  after  our  arrival  in  Fortress 
Monroe,  just  after  dinner,  our  attention  was  called 
to  evident  excitement  at  the  fort.  Looking  up 
the  road,  we  saw  the  occasion  of  it.  Coming  down 
from  Norfolk  we  espied  three  steamers :  two  of 
them  were  easily  discerned  and  understood  ;  the 
third  one  not  easily  made  out.  He;-  appearance 
was  so  peculiar;  she  looked  like  a  ha^  blink  house. 
The  word  soon  passed  around  that  the  strange 
looking  craft  was  a  Confederate  ram,  the  Virginia. 

When  Norfolk  navy-yard  was  captured  by  the 
Confederates,  there  was  a  partially  finished  ship 
of  war  called  the  Merrimac  ;  this  had  been  scuttled 
and  sunk  by  our  people.  The  Confederates 
raised  her  and  constructed  her  into  an  iron  ship. 
Her  mail  was  made  of  railroad  iron;  then  they  added 
to  her,  to  make  her  more  destructive,  a  tremendous 
battering-ram  made  of  the  finest  steel,  for  the 
purpose  of  crushing  into  the  sides  of  ships  and 
sinking  them.  It  would  seem  that  the  head  ones 
of  our  government  knew  of  her  construction,  but  it 
was  all  new  to  us. 

When  she  came  sailing  down  from  Norfolk, 
escorted  by  those  other  steamers,  I  surveyed  her, 
and  then  looked  over  to  our  naval  ships,  looking 
so  majestic  and  strong, — the  Congress,  carrying 
thirty-eight  guns  ;  the  Cumberland,  the  same 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  63 

number  of  guns  ;  the  Minnesota,  with  forty-eight 
guns.  With  a  joyful  heart,  I  thought  how  soon  our 
noble  ships  would  do  them  up  and  send  them  to 
the  bottom  of  the  deep.  I  changed  my  mind 
shortly  afterward. 

The  escort  now  halted  at  a  safe  distance,  but 
the  Merrimac  (  I'll  call  her  the  Merrimac,  al- 
though the  Confederates  had  re-named  her  the 
Virginia,)  came  steaming  on,  evidently  making  for 
the  Congress,  passing  the  Minnesota  on  the  way. 
The  Minnesota  fired  a  broadside  at  her.  The 
great  big  sixty-four-pound  shots  struck  fairly  and 
bounded  away,  as  harmless  as  though  they  had 
been  peas  shot  by  a  pop-gun.  When  I  saw  the  lit- 
tle effect  of  those  mighty  projectiles,  I  was  filled  with 
despair.  The  Merrimac  did  not  deign  to  answer, 
but  steamed  down  into  the  channel,  passing  the 
Congress.  This  seemed  very  strange;  but  it  was 
explained  afterward  that  Captain  Buchanan,  the 
commander  of  the  Merrimac,  had  a  brother  aboard 
of  the  Congress,  who  was  an  officer  of  the  ship, 
and  he  thought,  by  destroying  the  Cumberland 
first,  that  the  Congress  would  then  see  the  futility 
of  any  further  resistance  and  would  surrender;  and 
his  brother's  life  would  thus  be  saved,  or,  at  least, 
not  endangered.  In  this  it  would  seem  that  he 
was  mistaken. 

As  soon  as  the  Congress  had  been  passed,  the 
Merrimac — with  her  long  ram  glittering  in  the  sun, 


64  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

ready  for  its  work  of  destruction, — put  on  all 
steam,  opened  the  portholes,  and  ran  out  the  guns, 
making  directly  for  the  Cumberland  ;  all  the  while 
being  stormed  at  by  both  the  Congress  and  the 
Cumberland,  but  with  utterly  futile  results.  The 
Cumberland  was  finally  struck  amidships,  breaking 
into  her  side  a  hole  that  would  have  sunk  her 
in  fifteen  minutes,  anyhow.  The  Merrimac  now 
drew  back  and  let  fly  a  couple  of  guns  that  sent 
a  pair  of  two-hundred-pound  shots  ripping  through 
the  entire  length  of  the  Cumberland.  The  surren- 
der of  the  Cumberland  was  now  demanded,  but  the 
answer  came  back,  "  We  will  never  surrender  ;"  and 
neither  did  they.  But,  firing  their  guns  to  the  last, 
and  cheering  their  flag,  they  kept  up  until  the  sea 
settled  over  them. 

The  Merrimac  now  turned  her  attention  to  the 
Congress.  The  tide  was  now  going  out,  and  they 
could  not  get  close  enough  to  ram,  so  they  stood 
off  at  arm's  length  and  riddled  her  through  and 
through  with  their  terrific  projectiles ;  and,  as  she 
refused  to  surrender,  the  Southern  vessel  then  fired 
several  red-hot  shot,  setting  her  afire.  The  Mer- 
rimac then  returned  to  Norfolk. 

What  a  night  of  derpair  it  was  !  We  antici- 
pated everything  disastrous  for  the  next  day.  We 
hated  to  see  the  dawn  of  another  morning.  And, 
what  added  to  our  sorrow,  the  splendid  ship,  the 
Minnesota,  in  attempting  that  night  to  leave  the 


Mary  and  John  Sobieski. 

(At  the  age  of  five  and  three  years  respectively.) 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  65 

Roads,  had  run  aground  and  could  not  be  gotten  oft. 

Next  morning  early,  at  high  tide,  the  Merrimac 
and  her  escort  returned  to  complete  the  work  of 
destruction.  But  she  did  not  know  the  new  foe  she 
had  to  grapple  with  ;  neither  did  we  know  of  it. 
Down  she  came  steaming  in  all  of  her  gloomy  ugli- 
ness, making  for  the  Minnesota,  which  was  lying 
hopelessly  aground.  All  at  once,  from  out  be- 
hind the  Minnesota,  there  appeared  a  new  craft, 
more  ludicrous  in  appearance,  if  possible,  than 
the  Merrimac  had  been  the  day  before;  looking 
just  as  some  Southern  writer  said,  "like  a  raft  with 
a  cheese-box  on  top  of  it."  She  steamed  out  spite- 
fully to  meet  her  antagonist,  and  they  came  together. 
Now  began  for  the  first  time  in  the  world's  his- 
tory a  contest  between  two  ships  of  iron,  and  for 
three  hours  and  fifteen  minutes  those  ships  of  war 
fought  each  other. 

During  the  contest  we  became  so  excited  and 
carried  away,  that  we  forgot  all  about  them 
being  simply  ships  of  war,  and  in  our  imagination 
they  became  mighty  combatants  ;  instead  of  being 
men-of-war,  they  became  gods.  We  would  shout 
and  cheer  whenever  we  thought  our  champion  had 
made  a  point.  At  one  time  we  thought  the  battle 
was  lost,  for  all  at  once  the  Monitor  ceased  firing  ; 
she  seemed  to  be  drifting,  and  we  thought  she  had 
become  hopelessly  disabled.  It  seemed  that  a 
shot  from  the  Merrimac  had  struck  the  pilot-house 


66  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

of  the  Monitor  right  at  the  point,  or  aperture, 
rather,  where  inside  Captain  Worden  was  con- 
ducting the  battle.  The  shot  striking  so  close  to 
his  eyes,  caused  a  concussion,  paralyzing  the 
optic  nerves  and  making  him  temporarily  blind.  It 
was  while  the  change  was  going  on  in  the  com- 
mand, that  the  ship  seemed  to  be  drifting  ;  but  she 
soon  came  into  battle  again  as  gallantly  as  ever, 
amid  the  shouting  and  cheering  of  the  forty  thous- 
and men  who  were  watching  from  the  shore. 
After  a  while  the  Merrimac  drew  out  of  the  con- 
test and  steamed  aimlessly  around  :  evidently  a 
council  of  war  was  being  held.  All  at  once  she 
put  on  all  the  steam  she  had  and  made  for  her  little 
antagonist,  striking  the  Monitor  with  such  force 
as  to  cause  the  Merrimac  to  careen  on  one  side, 
exposing  herelf  below  her  iron  mail.  Quick  as  a 
flash  the  Monitor  let  go  one  of  her  two-hundred- 
pound  shots.  It  went  tearing  through  the  entire 
length  of  the  Merrimac,  killing  fourteen  men, 
wounding  twenty-eight  others, — among  them  Cap- 
tain Buchanan, — and  put  the  ship  in  a  sinking 
condition.  She  now  steamed  out  of  action  and  sig- 
naled for  her  escorts,  who  tugged  the  sinking  ship 
back  to  Norfolk. 

And  when  we  saw  the  battle  was  over  and 
practically  a  victory  had  been  won,  our  joy  knew 
no  bounds.  We  shouted  and  cheered,  cried  and 
laughed;  some  men  fell  down  on  their  knees 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  67 

thanked  God  for  the  victory ;  others  hugged  their 
comrades  ;  others  cursed  and  swore  ;•  just  as  they 
felt,  so  did  they  express  themselves.  Our  joy 
was  unconfined  :  we  had  no  drill  nor  parade  that 
day.  It  was  a  day  of  joy  that  I  shall  never  forget. 
That  battle  revolutionized  the  navies  of  the 
world.  Lord  John  Russell,  Minister  of  Marines  at 
that  time,  said  in  the  British  House  of  Lords  the 
next  day  :  "Yesterday,  we  boasted  that  our  navy 
was  the  greatest  in  the  world  ;  to-day,  we  have  to 
realize  that  we  have  no  navy  at  all." 


58  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Capture  of  Norfolk — Destruction  of  the  Merrimac — Siege  of  York- 
town — Battle  of  Williamsburg — Our  sojourn  in  the  Chickahominy 
swamps — Battle  of  Fair  Oaks-^-Seven  days'  battle  in  front  of  Richmond 
— Our  retreat  to  Harrison's  Landing. 

A  few  days  after  this  we  captured  Norfolk,  and 
one  result  of  that  battle  was  the  destruction  of  the 
Merrimac.  The  Confederates  blew  it  up  to  pre- 
vent it  from  falling  into  our  hands. 

When  we  captured  Norfolk,  we  captured  about 
a  thousand  Confederate  prisoners.  Norfolk  had 
been  a  celebrated  slave  mart  before  the  war,  so 
for  a  temporary  prison  the  Confederates  were  put 
into  these  slave  pens.  An  old  colored  woman, 
when  she  saw  the  pens  which  she  had  so  often 
seen  filled  with  her  own  race,  now  filled  with  their 
masters,  it  was  too  much  for  her,  and  she  turned 
herself  into  a  regular  Methodist  camp-meeting,  and 
began  to  shout,  "The  Lord  is  slow,  but  he  is 
mighty  sure."  Doubtless  she  had  been  praying 
for  her  freedom  for  many  years,  and  now,  when  she 
saw  the  dawn  of  the  day  of  freedom  appearing,  she 
had  unconsciously  given  expression  to  the  saying 
of  the  ancients:  "The  mills  of  the  gods  grind 
slowly,  but  they  grind  exceeding  small." 

We  now  marched  on  to  Yorktown,  where  we 
besieged  that  place.     But  when  the  Confederates 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  69 

saw  that  their  works  were  becoming  untenable, 
they  evacuated;  and  we  followed  them  to  where 
we  fought  the  battle  of  Williamsburg,  where 
General  Hancock  won  his  spurs,  and  his  title  as 
41  Hancock,  the  superb." 

I  remember  the  morning  of  the  battle,  when  we 
were  pressing  our  way  on  to  Williamsburg.  It  had 
been  raining  for  two  or  three  days,  and  the  roads 
had  become  exceedingly  heavy.  An  ammunition 
wagon  had  stalled,  and  the  driver  had  been  beating 
and  pounding,  the  horses  doing  the  best  they 
could.  Finally,  in  his  anger,  the  man  jumped  off 
the  horse  and  threw  a  rock  at  its  head.  Hancock 
was  right  behind  the  man,  who  did  not  know  it. 
Hancock  immediately  jumped  off  his  horse,  and 
seizing  a  rock,  hurled  it  at  the  man.  It  hit  him 
right  between  the  shoulders. 

The  man  cried,  "Oh!"  and  Hancock  said: 
"Yes,  damn  you,  that's  what  that  horse  would  have 
said,  if  it  could  have  spoken." 

I  was  never  cruel  in  my  nature,  and  I  do  not 
know  that  I  ever  mistreated  a  dumb  animal  ;  but  I 
never  have  occasion  to  deal  with  a  dumb  brute  but 
the  words  of  General  Hancock  come  to  my  mind  : 
I  wonder  what  this  animal  would  say,  if  it  could 
speak.  It  is  a  matter  of  a  good  deal  of  consola- 
tion to  me  to  believe  that  no  dumb  brute  will  rise 
up  in  judgment  against  me.  I  killed  a  little  bird 
once,  but  that  is  the  extent  of  my  "cussedness." 


70  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

After  the  battle  of  Williamsburg,  we  marched 
on  toward  Richmond.  Now  every  inch  of  soil 
that  we  trod  upon  was  historic  ground.  We 
passed  William  and  Mary  College,  where  the 
great  Jefferson  graduated,  with  other  distinguished 
Virginians;  and  the  white  house  where  Washing- 
ton courted  and  married  the  beautiful  widow,  Mrs. 
Custis.  Both  of  those  historic  landmarks  fell  a 
victim  to  the  torch — a  wicked  and  uncalled-for  act. 

There  are  always  men  who,  unrestrained, 
delight  in  destruction ;  there  are  no  rights  ol 
their  fellow  men  that  they  will  respect ;  with  them 
there  is  nothing  sacred  ;  they  are  really  barbari- 
ans— as  much  so  as  the  Apache  Indians;  the 
only  civilization  that  they  have  is  a  very  slight 
veneering ;  they  are  men  who  are  never  brave  in 
battle,  who  are  always  hanging  around  the  out- 
skirts of  an  army,  their  object  being  to  plunder,  to 
murder,  and  to  destroy.  As  war  itself  is  a  species 
of  barbarism,  I  presume  that  this  class  will  always 
curse  civilized  armies. 

May  31st  and  June  1st,  1862,  we  fought  the 
battle  bf  Fair  Oaks.  The  first  day  of  the  battle, 
owing  to  a  heavy  rain,  all  of  our  pontoon  bridges 
crossing  the  Chickahominy  had  been  swept  away, 
except  one  made  of  wild  grape-vines.  The  Con- 
federates took  advantage  of  this  and  attacked  .our 
army  in  force;  that  is,  the  portion  of  it  that  had 
crossed  the  river  before  the  flood,  and  they  had  to 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  71 

stand  the  brunt  of  the  battle  the  first  day :  but  dur- 
ing the  night  the  rest  of  our  army  succeeded  in 
crossing  the  river.  So  on  Sunday  morning,  June  1st, 
our  army  attacked  the  Confederates  fiercely,  and 
the  battle  raged  all  that  day  until  two  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  when  the  Confederates  gave  way  all 
along  the  line  and  retreated  in  confusion  to  their 
old  position. 

The  most  important  result  of  this  battle  was 
the  severe  wounding  of  General  Joseph  E.  John- 
ston, the  Confederate  commander,  when  General 
Robert  E.  Lee  assumed  the  command.  There  he 
began  his  great  career  as  commander  of  the  army 
in  northern  Virginia,  a  career  which  placed  his 
name  among  the  world's  great  soldiers,  and 
endeared  him  forever  in  the  hearts  of  all  Southern 
people. 

General  McClellan  has  been  censured  a  good 
deal  for  not  continuing  the  battle,  driving  the 
Confederates  out  of  their  position,  and  capturing 
Richmond.  He  may  have  erred  in  this,  and  he 
may  not.  Repelling  an  attack  of  an  army  and  driv- 
ing it  back  is  quite  a  different  thing  from  driv- 
ing an  army  out  of  a  fortified  position  and  captur- 
ing a  city  fortified  and  defended  as  that  city  was. 
I  am  satisfied  that  General  McClellan  acted  wisely 
in  the  matter. 

We  had  now  pushed  the  Confederates  to  the 
very    outskirts    of    the    city:     we    could    see    the 


72  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

steeples  of  the  churches  and  hear  the  church  bells. 
But  just  at  this  juncture  General  Lee  succeeded 
in  forming  a  junction  with  Stonewall  Jackson. 
Stonewall  Jackson  had  succeeded  in  utterly  de- 
feating Generals  McDowell,  Fremont,  and  Banks; 
and  we  found  ourselves  attacked  not  only  by  Lee's 
army,  but  by  Stonewall  Jackson's  also.  Now 
followed  six  days  of  terrific  fighting,  which,  for  a 
succession  of  battles,  the  world  has  never  seen 
equaled,  and  in  which  more  than  fifty  thousand 
men  were  either  killed  or  wounded. 

The  last  of  that  series  of  battles  was  fought  at 
Malvern  Hill,  and  this  was  the  climax.  McClellan 
had  formed  his  army  in  such  a  way  that  his  flank 
was  protected  by  the  great  gunboats  lying  in  the 
York  River.  Early  in  the  afternoon  General  Lee 
attacked  our  forces  fiercely.  My  old  captain,  now 
General  Magruder,  finding  out  where  his  old  bat- 
tery lay,  determined  to  capture  it  at  every  hazard. 
We  hurled  them  back  four  times.  Once  a  hand- 
to-hand  contest  took  place  right  over  our  guns ; 
but  we  drove  them  back,  and  his  splendid  division 
was  nearly  annihilated.  He  was  afterwards  put 
under  arrest  by  General  Lee  for  recklessness  in 
the  matter.  Just  after  dusk  the  Confederates 
gave  way  at  all  points,  General  Lee  losing  more 
than  ten  thousand  men  in  this  battle.  That  night 
we  resumed  our  march  to  Harrison's  Landing, 
where  we  arrived  early  in  the  morning. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  73 

To  show  how  the  bravest  of  armies  will  now 
and  then  have  a  coward,  I  will  tell  this  story. 

At  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hill  General  Lee  met 
a  great  tall  Johnnie  in  full  retreat,  blubbering  like 
a  whipped  boy.  The  general  halted  him,  saying  : 
''Halt  here  !  what  regiment  do  you  belong  to  ?  " 

"Tenth  Virginia,  boohoo !  boohoo  !  " 

The  general  said,  "Go  back  to  your  regiment, 
and  stand  your  ground  and  fight  like  a  man." 

He  said,  "Oh,  no,  General  !  I'm  a  coward  ;  I 
told  them  I  was  when  they  drafted  me,  boohoo  ! 
boohoo! " 

The  general  said,  "Why,  nonsense!  Virginians 
are  never  cowards ;  and  if  I  was,  I  wouldn't  be  a 
great  boo-baby. " 

"I  wish  I  was  a  baby,  and  a  gal  baby  at  that, 
boohoo!  boohoo!"  was  the  reply  of  the  poor 
fellow. 


74  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

The  army  at  Harrison's  Landing— Our  corps  ordered  to  reenforce 
Pope — Defeat — McClellan  again  in  command — March  into  Maryland — 
Battle  of  South  Mountain — Battle  of  Antietam — McClellan  removed — • 
Burnside  in  command — Battle  of  Fredericksburg. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  morning  we  arrived  at 
Harrison's  Landing.  It  was  raining  hard,  as  it  had 
been  for  several  hours.  It  was  a  regular  Virginia 
downpour.  We  had  had  six  days  of  constant  fight- 
ing. My  corps,  the  Fifth  Army  Corps,  commanded 
by  Fitz  John  Porter,  had  borne  the  brunt  of  the 
fight,  as  we  were  the  rear  guard  and  were  fighting 
by  day  and  marching  by  night.  A  dozen  hours 
would  safely  cover  all  the  sleep  I  had  for  the  six 
days.  So,  when  I  had  hitched  my  horse  to  the 
picket  rope,  I  took  off  the  saddle  and  lay  down 
on  the  ground.  I  laid  my  head  on  the  saddle, 
and  slept  until  late  in  the  afternoon.  I  remember 
when  I  woke  up,  the  rain  had  just  begun  to  sub- 
side a  bit.  The  spot  where  I  lay  was  on  the  side 
of  a  little  hill,  so  the  water  ran  away  as  fast  as  it 
fell.  When  I  arose  and  looked  at  myself,  I  could 
hardly  recognize  myself;  the  rain  had  washed,  or 
bleached  out,  my  dirty  uniform,  so  it  looked  bright 
and  new.  Our  rations  had  not  yet  come  up,  so  I 
strolled  out  into  a  field  where  I  found  an  apple 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  75 

tree  full  of  half-grown  apples,  and  I  think  I  ate  a 
peck.  I  will  not  vouch  for  this  statement,  but  it 
was  astonishing  how  many  I  ate  of  them.  My 
comrades  wouldn't  touch  them,  as  hungry  as  they 
were,  and  they  tried  to  make  me  believe  that  I 
wouldn't  live  more  than  an  hour  and  a  half;  but 
they  agreed  with  me  perfectly — I  felt  as  gay  as  a 
lark.  I  remember  my  sergeant  said  that  a  Polander 
might  eat  them  and  digest  them  all  right,  but  it 
would  raise  hell  with  any  human  being. 

We  remained  at  Harrison's  Landing  about  a 
month,  or  a  little  more,  when  our  corps  was  ordered 
to  Washington,  and  then  out  to  reenforce  General 
Pope,  who  had  practically  superseded  General 
McClellan. 

In  the  last  days  of  August  we  fought  the  battles 
of  Manassas  and  Chantilly,  and  were  again  de- 
feated. We  lost  several  very  valuable  officers  in 
these  battles ;  among  them  was  Colonel  Fletcher 
Webster,  the  only  surviving  son  of  Daniel  Webster, 
the  great  statesman  ;  Colonel  Isaac  Stevens,  oi 
Oregon,  formerly  governor  of  that  Territory;  but 
our  greatest  and  saddest  loss  among  the  officers 
was  the  gallant  General  Philip  Kearney. 

General  Kearney  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  I 
believe.  At  West  Point  he  was  a  classmate  of  Gen- 
eral Robert  E.  Lee.  He  had  won  a  splendid  rep- 
utation in  the  Mexican  War,  where  he  lost  an  arm. 
When  he  returned  from  Mexico,  he  retired  from 


76  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

the  United  States  army.  He  fought  in  the 
Italian  army  against  Austria,  and  maintained  his 
splendid  reputation  as  a  soldier;  and  such  was  his 
record  there,  he  was  given  a  badge  of  the  Legion 
of  Honor  for  his  services  in  Algiers.  At  the  out- 
break of  our  Civil  War  he  returned  to  the  United 
States,  tendered  his  services  to  our  government, 
and  in  the  Peninsular  Campaign  was  the  inspiration 
of  the  army.  He  was  a  perfect  stranger  to  fear. 
The  night  of  the  battle  at  Chantilly,  without  any 
guard,  he  rode  out  to  inspect  the  enemy's  lines, 
and  ran  into  them  ;  they  called  upon  him  to  halt ; 
he  wheeled  his  horse  and  attempted  to  escape  ;  the 
Confederates  fired  upon  him,  and  he  fell  dead  from 
his  horse.  General  Lee  was  not  far  away  ;  they 
reported  to  him  that  a  Federal  officer  of  distinction 
had  been  .killed.  General  Lee  and  his  staff  went 
over  to  where  the  body  lay.  Lee  at  once  recognized 
his  old  classmate,  and  ordered  the  soldiers  to  take 
him  to  his  quarters;  a  guard  was  at  once  posted 
over  the  remains,  and  the  next  morning  the  body 
was  sent  into  our  lines  under  a  flag  of  truce. 

While  I  was  lecturing  in  England  some  years 
ago,  I  read  a  statement  made  by  an  English  officer 
who  was  serving  on  General  Lee's  staff,  in  regard 
to  the  death  of  General  Kearney.  He  said  that 
when  Lee  and  his  staff  went  out  to  ascertain  who 
the  fallen  general  was,  as  soon  as  Lee  saw  him  he 
recognized  him.  He  said  for  the  first  time  he  saw 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  77 

General  Lee  show  indications  of  emotion.  He 
turned  at  once  to  the  party  who  had  done  the  firing 
and  said:  "Boys,  do  you  know  whom  you  have 
killed?  You  have  killed  one  of  the  bravest 
soldiers  that  ever  drew  a-  sword:  you  have  killed 
General  Kearney."  General  Leeordered  a  stretcher 
to  be  brought  and  the  remains  of  General  Kearney 
placed  upon  it,  and  ordered  that  the  remains 
should  be  carried  to  headquarters.  General  Lee 
and  his  staff  dismounted,  and,  uncovering  theii 
heads,  formed  a  procession  and  followed  the  remains 
to  the  headquarters.  Thus  it  is  that  the  brave 
always  honor  the  brave. 

We  now  retreated  to  Washington,  and  Pope 
was  superseded  in  command  and  ordered  to  reporl 
to  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  to  take  charge  of  the 
campaign  against  the  Indians  on  the  frontier. 

General  Pope  was  an  able  soldier,  but  he  was 
entirely  lacking  in  what  is  known  as  tact.  When 
he  was  called  from  the  West  to  the  East  and 
placed  in  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Shenandoah, 
the  good  record  he  had  made  in  the  West  had  pre- 
ceded him,  and  he  was  well  thought  of  by  all  oi 
the  men  and,  I  think,  most  of  the  officers.  But  in 
two  weeks'  time,  by  his  unwise  utterances,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  making  himself  thoroughly  disliked  by 
all.  He  began  by  making  reflections  on  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  sneering  at  his  officers,  reflecting 
on  the  men.  In  the  first  general  order  he  issued 


78  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

to  the  army,  he  began  by  saying:  "I  have  come 
from  the  West,  where  we  have  been  accustomed 
to  look  at  the  backs  of  the  enemy;"  and  numerous 
other  unwise  sayings  made  him  thoroughly 
detested :  yet  I  believe  the  army  did  their  duty 
fully  and  faithfully  under  him,  as  they  loved  their 
cause,  if  they  did  not  their  general. 

McClellan  was  now  again  placed  in  command 
of  the  defenses  of  Washington,  which  really  meant 
the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac ;  and 
the  news  of  his  reinstatement  was  hailed  with 
enthusiasm  by  the  men. 

General  Lee  had  already  crossed  over  into 
Maryland,  and  was  rapidly  approaching  Washing- 
ton. General  McClellan  at  once  put  his  army  in 
motion,  and  we  marched  out  of  Washington  to 
meet  Lee.  W7e  met  his  advance  guard  at  New 
Market,  drove  it  back,  reached  the  city  of  Frederick 
on  the  12th  of  September,  and  everywhere  our 
army  was  received  with  enthusiasm  by  the  people, 
which  much  surprised  us. 

On  Sunday,  the  14th,  we  fought  the  battle  of 
South  Mountain,  where  the  Confederates  were 
defeated  with  great  loss. 

We  rapidly  followed  them  to  Antietam.  There 
we  met  General  Lee  with  his  entire  command.  A 
drunken  general,  in  command  at  Harper's  Ferry, 
had,  without  much  resistance,  surrendered  to  Gen- 
eral Stonewall  Jackson  his  entire  command  of 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  79 

twelve  thousand;  and  thus  enabled  Stonewall  Jack- 
son to  reenforce  General  Lee  at  Antietam  with 
his  entire  corps.  This  made  the  battle  one  of  the 
most  terrific  and  bloody  of  the  war.  The  battle 
opened  in  the  morning,  and  lasted  all  day  and  far 
into  the  night;  the  loss  of  the  Union  and  Con- 
federate armies  on  that  day  was  more  than  thirty 
thousand. 

The  next  day  was  spent  in  replenishing  our 
exhausted  ammunition,  and  making  preparation  for 
an  attack  early  on  the  morning  of  the  19th.  But 
during  the  night  General  Lee  succeeded  in  making 
his  escape.  His  expedition  into  Maryland  had 
cost  him  heavily.  He  expected  large  reenforce- 
ments  to  his  army  from  the  Southern  sympathizers 
in  Maryland,  but  did  not  receive  any.  He  had  lost 
twenty-five  thousand  men,  and  had  also  lost  the 
prestige  of  the  victory  he  had  won  in  the  summer. 
His  mistake  was  a  heavy  blow  to  the  Southern 
cause. 

A  few  weeks  after  this,  while  General  McClellan 
was  reorganizing  his  army,  refitting  it  by  issuing 
clothing  to  the  men  and  doing  those  things  neces- 
sary to  make  an  army  efficient  after  such  an 
exhausting  campaign,  he  was  superseded  by 
General  Burnside,  and  ordered  to  report  at  Trenton, 
New  Jersey,  his  home.  This  closed  his  connection 
with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and,  indeed,  his 
services  in  the  Civil  War. 


8o  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

General  McClellan  was  one  of  the  most  accom- 
plished officers  our  army  ever  had.  He  had  grad- 
uated at  West  Point  at  the  head  of  his  class,  and 
had  won  a  fine  reputation  in  Mexico.  When  the 
war  in  the  Crimea  was  going  on,  he  was  selected 
by  General  Scott  to  visit  the  seat  of  the  war  to 
study  the  operation  of  the  allies  and  the  Russian 
army,  and  received  a  high  compliment  from  General 
Scott  for  his  report.  Shortly  after,  he  resigned 
from  the  army  and  was  made  president  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  the  governor  of 
Ohio  made  him  a  major-general  of  the  State  militia, 
and  he  led  them  into  western  Virginia.  His 
campaigns  there  were  so  brilliant  in  defeating  the 
Confederates,  that  he  was  made  a  major-general 
in  the  United  States  army  by  President  Lincoln. 
He  was  at  that  time  but  thirty-five  years  of  age. 
After  the  battle  of  Bull  Run  he  was  ordered  to 
Washington  and  placed  in  command.  The  prompt- 
ness with  which  he  brought  order  out  of  chaos 
delighted  the  country.  His  great  organizing 
powers  were  so  manifest,  that  when  Scott  retired 
from  the  army,  he,  by  general  consent,  succeeded 
him.  But  already  murmurs  had  been  raised 
against  him;  there  were  those  who  thought  he 
ought  to  inaugurate  an  active  campaign  in  Virginia 
in  the  winter,  and  nothing  could  he  say  in  defense 
of  himself  that  the  country  would  receive.  But 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  81 

after  General  Burnside  made  the  experiment,  after 
the  battle  of  Fredricksburg,  the  impracticability 
of  such  a  course  was  demonstrated.  Such  is  the 
nature  of  the  soil  in  that  country,  by  reason  of 
the  almost  constant  rains,  that  it  would  be  as 
impossible  to  carry  on  a  campaign  at  that  time 
of  the  year  as  it  is  in  the  Philippine  Islands 
during  the  rainy  season.  Then  his  Peninsular 
Campaign  was  severely  criticised,  and  he  was 
unfortunate  enough  to  secure  the  ill  will  of  the 
Secretary  of  War,  who  was  a  very  strong  and  a 
very  vindictive  man.  And  at  last  President  Lincoln 
considered  it  wise,  under  the  circumstances,  to 
remove  him  from  command;  but  his  removal  almost 
caused  a  mutiny  in  the  army.  No  man  was  ever 
idolized  by  his  army  as  was  General  McClellan, 
with  the  possible  exception  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte. 
He  was  one  of  those  men  whose  defeat  did  not 
effect  the  confidence  the  men  had  in  him;  they 
were  ready  to  do,  dare,  and  die  for  him.  Such  was 
the  men's  love  for  him,  that  the  government  con- 
sidered it  wise  at  the  beginning  of  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg  to  let  the  impression  go  out  that  he 
was  again  in  command;  and  the  impression  was 
general  throughout  the  entire  army  during  that 
battle,  that  we  were  fighting  again  under  the  eye 
of  "little  Mac;"  but  he  was  never  with  us  again. 

He  was  nominated  for  the  presidency  by  the 
Democratic  party  in  1864.     This  was  the  mistake 


82  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

of  his  life;  and  made  worse  by  the  platform  upon 
which  he  was  placed,  known  as  the  "  peace  plat- 
form/' although  in  his  letter  of  acceptance  he 
declared  that  the  war  should  be  prosecuted  as  long 
as  any  man  disputed  the  authority  of  the  govern- 
ment. He  was  overwhelmingly  defeated  by  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  in  the  electoral  college,  although  he 
received  a  large  popular  vote.  He  was  afterward 
nominated  for  minister  to  England  by  President 
Johnson,  and  rejected  by  the  Senate  for  political 
reasons.  He  was  in  1877  nominated  for  governor 
of  New  Jersey  by  the  Democratic  party,  and  elected 
by  an  overwhelming  majority.  He  made  an  ex- 
ceedingly popular  and  able  governor. 

The  last  time  that  I  saw  him  was  at  the  Palmer 
House  in  Chicago,  in  1885,  when  I  and  some  other 
old  soldiers  who  had  served  under  him,  called 
upon  him.  He  received  us  very  graciously,  and 
seemed  to  be  much  touched  by  our  kind  remem- 
brance and  regard.  It  had  been  twenty-three 
years  since  I  had  seen  him,  yet  he  was  looking  so 
young  that  we  all  remarked  how  lightly  the  finger 
of  time  had  touched  him.  The  whiteness  of  his 
mustache  alone  seemed  to  show  his  age.  He  died 
a  few  weeks  after  this  of  heart  trouble,  after  a  few 
hours'  sickness. 

General  McClellan  was  in  every  way  a  high- 
toned  Christian  gentleman.  His  habits  and  mor- 
als were  exceptionable;  he  was  a  total  abstainer, 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  83 

he  neither  drank  liquor  nor  used  tobacco;  he  was 
unpretentious  in  his  life  and  living.  He  sought  to 
make  the  war  as  bearable  as  possible,  by  respect- 
ing property  and  families  in  Virginia.  He  was 
very  much  censured  for  this.  There  are  those 
who  believe  with  General  Sheridan,  that  the  most 
humane  way  is  to  make  war  as  terrible  as 
possible,  and  thereby  shorten  it.  But  General 
McClellan  did  not  take  this  view  of  it,  and  I  am 
satisfied  that  future  generations  will  decide  that 
he  was  right.  Of  all  the  twenty  battles  that  he 
fought,  he  never  clearly  lost  a  battle,  although 
none  of  his  victories  were  decisive. 

General  Burnside  now  assumed  the  command, 
and  was  received  with  great  satisfaction  by  the  army. 
Recognizing  the  fact  that  he  had  been  given  com- 
mand of  the  army  in  response  to  a  public  demand 
for  a  battle,  regardless  of  whether  he  was  ready 
or  not,  he  gave  battle  to  General  Lee  at  Freder- 
icksburg;. and  though  our  men  never  fought  more 
bravely,  yet  our  defeat  was  terrible.  We  lost 
more  than  twenty  thousand  men,  while  the  loss 
of  the  Confederates  was  very  slight  in  comparison. 

An  incident  occurred  in  this  battle,  showing 
how  gallantly  the  adopted  sons  of  America  fight 
for  her  flag. 

The  citadel  of  the  Confederate  position  at  the 
battle  of  Fredericksburg  was  Marye's  Heights, 
just  back  of  the  city  of  Fredericksburg.  This  was 


84  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

commanded  by  more  than  fifty  pieces  of  artillery. 
I  remember  reading  of  the  conversation  that  took 
place  between  General  Lee  and  General  Long- 
street  the  night  before  the  battle.  When  Lee 
asked  the  question  if  Longstreet  had  gotten  his 
cannon  so  posted  that  he  could  command  the 
approach  of  the  hill,  he  replied  that  he  could  comb 
it  as  with  a  fine-tooth  comb;  and  we  found  it 
so,  to  our  terrible  sorrow. 

Four  times  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  cap- 
ture the  hill,  and  we  had  been  beaten  back  with  a 
loss  that  was  appalling.  About  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  of  that  day,  General  Thomas  Francis 
Meagher,  commander  of  the  celebrated  Irish  bri- 
gade, begged  permission  to  charge  it  with  his  bri- 
gade. Dismounting  from  his  horse,  sword  in  hand, 
he  led  the  charge.  My  battery  was  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river,  and  it  seemed  to  us,  from  where 
we  were  posted,  that  the  side  of  the  hill  was  so 
literally  covered  with  our  fallen  comrades  that  it 
would  be  impossible  for  a  charge  to  be  made  with- 
out the  men  tramping  upon  their  dead  and  dying 
comrades.  The  hillside  was  literally  blue  with 
their  uniforms;  yet  on  went  our  gallant  brigade. 
We  watched  them  with  bated  breath  as  they 
advanced.  All  at  once  the  entire  artillery  of  the 
enemy  opened  upon  them  ;  but  unbroken  on  they 
went,  their  brave  commander  sorely  wounded,  his 
sword  broken  by  a  fragment  of  a  shell,  bleeding  in 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  85 

ialf  a  dozen  places, — he  still  led  them  on.  Already 
two-thirds  of  the  distance  had  been  made,  and 
more  than  two  thirds  of  the  brigade  was  down;  but 
still  on  they  marched.  The  very  crest  of  the  hill 
had  been  reached,  and  we  were  shouting  :  "He's 
making  it!  He's  making  it!"  when  the  enemy's 
infantry,  four  deep,  arose  and  blazed  in  their  faces; 
and  down  went  the  whole  brigade.  It  seemed  to 
us  as  though  every  man  had  been  killed;  but  under 
the  darkness  of  the  night  a  few  hundred  succeeded 
in  making  their  escape.  But  the  next  morning, 
out  of  the  thirty-eight  hundred  who  had  made  the 
charge,  only  six  hundred  and  eighteen  answered 
the  roll-call.  The  brave  general  himself  was 
wounded  in  a  half  dozen  places.  This  shows  the 
sacrifices  those  splendid  men  made,  that  the  flag 
of  their  country  might  wave  over  a  free  and  united 
people. 

Their  brave  leader — such  was  the  severity  of 
his  wounds — was  never  again  permitted  to  take 
active  part  in  the  field.  He  was  at  the  close  of  the 
rebellion  appointed  by  President  Johnson  as  gover- 
nor of  Montana  Territory.  He  was  drowned  in 
the  Missouri  River.  When  a  young  man,  he  had 
joined  with  others  of  his  countrymen  to  liberate 
Ireland  from  the  power  of  Great  Britain.  Failing 
in  the  attempt,  he  was  sentenced  to  death.  His 
sentence  was  commuted  to  transportation  to 
Van  Diemen's  Land  for  life.  After  serving  there 


86  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

some  years,  he  made  his  escape  and  came  to  the 
United  States.  He  served  as  a  captain  in  the 
Sixty-ninth  New  York  at  the  battle  of  Bull  Run. 
Such  was  his  conduct  there,  that  he  was  appointed 
brigadier-general  by  President  Lincoln,  and  signal- 
ized himself  for  bravery  at  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks 
and  at  Game's  Mill.  In  addition  to  his  soldierly 
qualities,  he  was  a  great  orator. 

I  was  very  nearly  captured  while  we  were  near 
New  Baltimore,  after  the  battle  of  Antietam.  I 
took  charge  of  some  teams  one  day,  to  go  out  and 
get  some  forage.  Our  orders  were  very  strict  not 
to  enter  into  any  private  house,  and  if  any  of  my 
men  did  so,  or  attempted  in  any  way  to  molest  the 
inhabitants,  to  report  them  on  return  to  the  camp. 
After  getting  some  distance  out  into  the  country, 
and  being  some  little  distance  in  the  rear  of  my 
teams,  I  noticed  that  they  had  halted  in  front  of  a 
farm-house.  I  put  the  spur  to  my  horse,  and  as  I 
approached  the  house  heard  the  cackling  of  hens 
and  the  gobbling  of  turkeys,  and  knew  some  fowl 
(foul)  proceedings  were  going  on  at  the  front.  I 
rode  up  to  the  house  just  in  time  to  meet  the  men 
on  the  way  out  to  their  wagons,  with  their  hands 
full  of  fowls.  I  halted  them  and  ordered  them  to 
drop  their  plunder,  and  threatened  to  report  them 
on  returning  to  camp.  A  very  handsome  lady, 
apparently  about  thirty- five,  who  was  standing  on 
the  porch  of  the  house,  thanked  me  for  my  protec- 


•  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  87 

tion,  and  calling  me  captain,  asked  me  how  soon  it 
would  be  before  I  would  return.  I  told  her  in  a 
couple  of  hours.  She  said  if  I  would  call,  she 
would  show  her  appreciation  of  my  services  by 
having  a  good  dinner  for  me. 

On  my  return  she  met  me  at  the  door,  and  a 
darky  received  my  horse  and  led  it  away. 

As  I  was  entering  the  hall,  she  said:  "  Captain 
you  can  lay  your  belts  upon  this  table,  and  I'll 
promise  you  that  they  shall  not  be  interfered  with." 

I  hesitated  for  a  moment,  questioning  in  my 
mind  the  wisdom  of  the  act ;  but  I  took  them  off 
and  threw  them  on  the  table.  She  led  the  way 
into  the  parlor,  where  she  introduced  me  to  an 
exceedingly  handsome  young  lady,  who  was  her 
sister. 

She  said,  "Sister,  this  is  the  young  captain  who 
protected  our  house  this  morning." 

The  young  lady  bowed  and  smiled.  I  was  at 
that  time  twenty  years  of  age,  a  very  susceptible 
time  in  one's  life,  so  the  smile  was  more  than  I 
could  stand,  and  I  was  gone  in  a  minute. 

She  said,  "Yes,  sister  told  me  about  the  event 
of  this  morning,  and  that  shows  that  all  the  chiv- 
alry is  not  on  our  side." 

The  lady  of  the  house  said:  "  Now,  I  will  hurry 
up  my  servants  with  the  dinner,  and  my  sister 
will  entertain  you;"  which  she  did  charmingly. 


88  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.. 

Soon  dinner  was  announced,  and  when  I 
entered  the  dining  room,  I  saw  there  were  several 
extra  plates.  I  was  assigned  to  a  place  at  the  table, 
and  while  waiting  for  the  ladies  to  be  seated,  a 
door  opened  to  my  right,  and  in  walked  two  Con- 
federate officers,  a  captain  and  a  major.  They 
were  introduced  to  me  as  Captain  and  Major 
Grayson.  They  extended  their  hands,  and  I  shook 
hands  with  them  and  said  I  was  glad  to  meet  them. 
I  reckon  I  never  told  a  bigger  lie. 

The  lady  of  the  house  said:  ''Now,  I  will  put 
the  major  on  the  right  of  our  friend,  and  the  cap- 
tain on  the  left.  There,  you  don't  know  how  nice 
you  warriors  look." 

I  thought  I  might  look  nice,  but  I  didn't  feel 
that  way.  It  was  some  minutes  before  I  dared 
look  in  the  face  of  my  hostess.  I  cannot  describe 
my  feelings  in  those  minutes,  though  I  tried  to 
conceal  them.  I  thought,  after  I  had  protected 
her  house,  she  had  laid  a  trap  to  take  me  prisoner. 
I  was  afraid,  if  I  looked  at  her,  I  would  say  some- 
thing that  wasn't  nice;,  so  I  waited  until  my  emo- 
tions were  conquered,  and  everything  went  as 
pleasantly  as  though  we  were  old  friends. 

After  dinner  we  went  into  the  parlor.  All 
around  the  parlor  walls  there  were  pictures  of 
distinguished  Virginians:  Washington,  Jefferson, 
Madison,  Monroe,  Tyler,  Marshall,  Zachary 
Taylor,  and  others.  I  thought  all  this  time  that 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  89 

I  was  a  prisoner,  though  not  the  slightest  refer- 
ence had  been  made  to  the  subject,  or  to  my 
peculiar  position.  As  we  walked  around  the  room 
we  talked  about  the  great  men  whose  pictures  we 
looked  upon,  and  they  complimented  me  that  one 
so  young  as  I  was,  and  a  foreigner,  too,  should  be 
so  well  acquainted  with  the  lives  of  these  great 
men.  Soon  the  ladies  came  in  and  we  got  to  talk- 
ing about  my  native  country.  As  I  told  them  ot 
the  struggle  of  our  country  for  liberty  and  the  part 
my  family  had  taken  in  the  struggle,  and  as  I  de- 
scribed the  Russian  prison,  the  death  of  my  father, 
the  banishment  of  my  mother  and  myself,  I  saw 
the  tears  standing  in  the  eyes  of  the  two  fair 
Virginians. 

I  now  told  my  hostess  that  I  must  go.  They 
all  begged  of  me  to  remain  longer,  as  they  had 
enjoyed  my  visit  so  well  ;  but  I  assured  them  that 
I  must  go.  I  thought  they  were  going  to  say  that 
they  would  keep  me  anyway;  but  soon  my 
horse  was  announced,  and  we  proceeded  out  into 
the  hallway,  followed  by  the  ladies.  The  gentle- 
men assisted  me  in  adjusting  my  belts,  and  when 
we  arrived  at  the  porch  the  little  darky  stood 
ready  with  my  horse.  When  the  bridle  was  placed 
in  my  hands,  I  turned  around  and  confronted  them 
for  the  first  time.  Up  to  this  time  not  a  single 
word  had  been  said  in  regard  to  our  peculiar 
relations 


90  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

As  I  extended  my  hand,  both  of  the  gentlemen 
stepped  forward  to  receive  it.  The  major  said  he 
was  glad  to  have  met  me,  and  hoped  to  meet  me 
again  under  more  favorable  circumstances.  And 
the  captain  said,  "And  above  all,  we  hope  you 
may  go  through  the  rest  of  the  war  unscathed." 

I  thanked  them  for  their  kind  wishes,  tipped 
my  hat  to  the  ladies,  mounted  my  horse,  and  was 
gone.  My  relief  was  great  when  I  found  that  I 
was  a  free  man. 

Still,  I  have  often  since  pondered  upon  my 
strange  adventure  that  afternoon.  I  have  rather 
concluded  that  the  major  was  the  lady's  husband, 
that  the  captain  was  his  brother,  of  course,  and 
that  they  had  come  there  that  day  after  we  had 
left,  and  the  lady  had  told  them  of  the  events  of 
the  morning,  and,  under  the  circumstances,  they 
could  not  avail  themselves  of  their  opportunity  for 
my  capture.  I  wonder  if  they  did  go  through  the 
rest  of  the  storm  of  war  unscathed!  I  hope  they 
did;  and  I  have  often  hoped  since  then,  that  if 
they  did  come  through  alive,  that  I  might  meet 
one  or  both  and  have  a  talk  with  them  over  the 
events  of  that  afternoon.  I  have  given  up  that 
hope  now,  but  trust  in  the  great  Beyond  we  shall 
meet  and  have  a  talk  and  laugh  over  the  peculiar 
dinner  on  that  November  day,  when  we  met 
together,  and,  forgetting  the  bitter  passions  of 
war,  passed  the  hour  so  pleasantly. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

March  again — Stuck  in  the  mud — General  Burnside  superseded  by 
General  Hooker — Reorganization  of  the  army — Advance  again  on  the 
foe — Battle  of  Chancellorsville — Charge  of  the  Eighth  Pennsylvania — 
Our  defeat — Discouragement. 

After  a  few  weeks  of  rest,  General  Burnside, 
heeding  the  demand  of  the  press  of  the  country,  ad- 
vanced again  on  the  foe.  We  went  just  far  enough 
to  get  submerged  in  the  mud  so  deep  that  it  took 
us  six  weeks  to  get  out. 

General  Burnside  was  now  removed,  and  Gen- 
eral Hooker  appointed  in  his  place. 

General  Burnside  resumed  the  command  of  the 
Ninth  Army  Corps,  and  reported  to  General  Grant 
for  service  in  the  West.  He  took  part  in  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg.  In  the  campaign  of  1864  he 
returned  to  Virginia  again  with  his  corps,  and  took 
part  in  the  siege  of  Petersburg.  At  the  close  of 
the  war  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Rhode  Island, 
was  elected  governor  of  the  State  two  or  three 
times,  was  twice  elected  United  States  Senator, 
and  finally  died  of  apoplexy.  General  Burnside 
was  one  of  the  most  refined,  cultured,  Christian 
men  that  ever  served  in  the  army.  He  was  an 
ideal  man  in  his  character:  he  made  a  good  soldier 
and  an  enlightened  statesman.  Peace  to  his  ashes. 


9  2  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

General  Hooker  went  to  work  with  all  of  the 
wonderful  vigor  of  his  nature  to  reorganize  the 
army  and  perfect  its  machinery;  and  completed  his 
work  to  the  last  detail.  His  great  reputation  as  a 
fighter  pleased  the  army  and  the  nation;  and  the 
campaign  of  1863  was  looked  forward  to  with  the 
greatest  hope,  by  army  and  nation.  So,  when  we 
opened  the  campaign  on  the  27th  of  April  with 
one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  thousand  men  in  the 
ranks,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  never  before 
or  afterward  in  such  a  fine,  hopeful  and  spirited 
condition. 

But  an  incident  occurred  the  first  day  of  our 
activity  that  I  shall  never  forget.  General  Hooker, 
with  his  staff,  was  standing  close  to  our  battery. 
He  was  sitting  on  his  magnificent  charger,  when 
an  orderly  came  up  and  announced  the  successful 
crossing  of  the  river  by  General  French.  As 
Hooker  read  the  despatch,  he  almost  jumped  from 
his  saddle. 

"Good!"  exclaimed  he,  "I  have  got  them 
where  I  defy  God  Almighty  to  help  them." 

In  three  short  days  the  enemy  was  triumphant; 
and  our  army,  defeated  and  broken,  with  a  loss  of 
nearly  twenty-five  thousand  men,  retreated  again 
across  the  Rappahannock  to  the  old  camps. 
General  Hooker  was  a  good  fighter  but  a  poor 
commander  of  an  army :  everything  went  wrong 
from  the  beginning. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  93 

I  can  never  forget  that  fatal  day  when  General 
Howard  permitted  himself  to  be  surprised.  Gen- 
eral Howard  had  been  apprised  in  the  morning  by 
General  Hooker  to  look  out  for  his  rear,  but  in 
some  way  had  neglected  doing  so.  While  some  of 
his  men  were  preparing  their  suppers,  and  others 
were  writing  letters  to  their  loved  ones,  that 
leopard  of  the  Southern  army,  General  Stonewall 
Jackson,  was  creeping  up  into  their  rear,  getting 
ready  to  make  his  last  and  awful  spring,  which  should 
cause  the  defeat  of  our  army,  and  his  own  death. 
Without  a  note  of  warning  he  sprang  out  on 
Howard's  men.  The  men  were  shot  down  before 
they  could  get  to  their  guns  or  rifles.  Panic  now 
seized  the  men  and  spread  from  regiment  to  regi- 
ment, brigade  to  brigade,  division  to  division, 
until  the  whole  corps  was  involved.  Down  they 
came  pell-mell,  like  a  seething  ocean  or  river. 

That  day  we  were  with  General  Pleasanton. 
He  intuitively,  as  soon  as  he  heard  the  tumult, 
seemed  to  understand  it.  Already  the  fragments 
of  the  dispersed  corps  were  upon  us  :  we  could 
hear  the  shouting  of  the  exultant  foe.  General 
Pleasanton  seemed  to  be  helpless.  There  were 
two  field  batteries,  but  it  would  take  time  to  get 
them  in  line.  There  was  a  splendid  regiment  of 
cavalry  that  had  just  come  in  from  a  scout. 

General  Pleasanton  turned  to  them  and  said: 
"  Major  Keenan,  are  you  willing  to  sacrifice  your- 
self and  regiment  to  save  the  army  ? " 


94  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

He  answered,  "I  am  willing  to  obey  orders." 

"Charge  the  enemy  at  once,  "ordered  General 
Pleasanton. 

Major  Keenan  coolly  turned  to  his  regiment 
and  ordered  the  men  to  mount. 

As  they  passed  my  battery  I  knew  I  was  look- 
ing upon  a  regiment  of  men  that  were  going  out  to 
die.  They  were  splendid  looking  men  from  west- 
ern Pennsylvania.  They  drew  their  hats  down 
close  around  their  heads,  settled  themselves  in 
their  saddles,  grasped  their  carbines  with  a  firmer 
grasp,  and  started  out  on  a  trot  toward  the  enemy. 
Just  at  a  place  where  a  point  of  woods  pointed 
down  into  the  clear  field,  they  sounded  the  bugle 
for  a  charge ;  and  eight  hundred  men  threw  them- 
selves into  the  face  of  twenty  thousand. 

Stonewall  Jackson,  never  dreaming  that  he  was 
being  charged  by  a  single  regiment  unsupported, 
gave  orders  for  his  corps  to  halt  and  reline.  It 
took  twenty  minutes  to  do  this ;  but  before  that 
time  we  had  our  batteries  in  position,  and  were 
giving  them  shot  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  a 
minute.  We  were  now  reenforced  by  General 
Sickles,  and  the  fierce,  triumphant  onset  was  stayed, 
and  the  army  saved ;  and  the  gallant  Eighth 
Pennsylvania  Cavalry  had  done  it.  It  was  a 
grander  charge  than  that  of  the  "Light  Brigade," 
for  that  charge  was  a  blunder;  but  this  a  case 
where  a  regiment  deliberately  sacrificed  itself  to 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  95 

save  the  army.     Oh,    that  we  had  a  Tennyson  to 
immortalize  these  splendid  heroes! 

Thirty  hours  after  this  we  were  back  across  the 
river  again,  with  a  loss  of  tweny-five  thousand  of 
our  comrades,  defeated  and  discouraged.  We  had 
started  out  with  great  hope  and  expectation ;  but 
all  our  hopes  were  blasted,  and  we  were  eating  the 
bitter  fruits  of  defeat. 


p6  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  death  of  Stonewall  Jackson,  and  its  effect  on  the  Confederate 
army — Lee's  march  into  the  North — We  follow  him — Arrival  on  the 
field  of  Gettysburg — The  battle — Thrilling  description  of  Pickett's 
charge — Wounded — A  faithful  comrade — Taken  to  the  hospital  for  the 
mortally  wounded,  near  Hagerstown — Taken  to  the  hospital  at  Wash- 
ington— Rapid  recovery — Rejoin  my  company — Ordered  before  Casey's 
examining  board — Commissioned  colonel  of  a  colored  regiment — My 
declination — Rejoin  my  company — Crossing  of  the  Rapidan — Retreat 
— Winter  quarters. 

The  loss  of  the  Confederates  in  killed  and 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  was 
nearly  as  large  as  ours,  and  the  loss  on  both  sides 
was  nearly  forty  thousand;  but  the  greatest  loss 
that  the  Confederates  sustained  was  the  death  of 
their  celebrated  leader,  General  Stonewall  Jackson. 

In  my  opinion,  take  it  all  in  all,  he  was  the 
greatest  soldier  developed  by  the  South  during  the 
Civil  War.  He  was  a  most  remarkable  character. 
Coming  from  very  humble  origin,  an  orphan  boy, 
he  succeeded,  partially  by  his  own  endeavors,  and 
with  the  help  of  some  friends,  in  being  appointed 
a  cadet  to  West  Point.  He  chiefly  distinguished 
himself  in  school  by  studious  habits.  If  he  did  not 
graduate  at  the  head  of  his  class,  he  came  near 
doing  so.  I  think  the  same  year  he  graduated  he 
went  to  Mexico;  and  in  that  array  of  wonderful, 
bright  young  men  from  West  Point,  he  stood  in 
the  very  foremost  rank.  He  returned  home  a 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  97 

major  by  brevet.  He  afterward  resigned  from  the 
army,  and  became  an  instructor  at  Washington 
College,  Lexington,  Virginia. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  it  was  said 
he  hesitated  long  before  he  decided  to  cast  his 
fortune  with  the  Southern  Confederacy;  but, 
believing  that  his  duty  to  his  State  was  imperative, 
he  offered  his  services  to  the  State  of  Virginia. 

o 

At  the  battle  of  Bull  Run  he  commanded  a 
brigade.  During  the  battle  General  Beauregard 
saw  his  brigade  was  about  to  be  fiercely  attacked. 
He  asked  Jackson  if  his  brigade  would  stand. 
"  Yes,  like  a  stone  wall,"  was  the  reply. 

The  only  time  he  was  defeated  was  at  the 
battle  of  Winchester,  when  he  was  defeated  by 
General  Shields.  But  a  few  weeks  afterward  he 
fought  and  beat  in  detail  Generals  Banks  and 
Shields,  and  succeeded  in  joining  Lee  before 
Richmond,  where  he  hurled  his  invincible  divisions 
against  McClellan's  army  with  such  fierceness  that 
he  compelled  us  to  raise  the  siege.  It  was  his 
coming  so  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  on  the  field 
of  the  second  Bull  Run  battle,  and  striking  such  a 
terrific  blow,  that  fairly  paralyzed  Pope,  and  made 
the  defeat  of  his  army  complete  and  overwhelming. 
When  Lee  crossed  the  Potomac  in  1862,  it  devolved 
upon  General  Jackson  to  go  by  way  of  Harper's 
Ferry  and  capture  our  army  there.  This  he 
executed  to  the  letter ;  and  rejoining  Lee  the  night 


98  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

before  the  battle  of  Antietam,  saved  Lee's  army 
from  being  crushed  in  that  battle.  And  when 
everything  was  going  well  with  us  in  the  battle  of 
Chancellorsville,  it  was  Jackson  who  succeeded  in 
getting  into  Howard's  rear  and  leaping  like  a  leop- 
ard from  the  jungle  upon  the  Eleventh  Corps, 
sweeping  everything  before  him,  and  making  the 
defeat  of  our  army  complete. 

Just  after  dark  that  night,  as  he  was  riding 
along  his  lines,  he  received  a  shot  that  completely 
shattered  his  arm.  It  was  from  the  effect  of  this 
wound  that  he  died. 

General  Lee,  in  writing  to  President  Davis, 
speaking  of  Jackson's  death,  said:  "I  have  lost 
my  right  arm.  "  He  had  lost  more;  for  the  Army 
of  Northern  Virginia  never  won  a  decided  victory 
after  his  death.  He  was  so  deeply  religious  in  his 
character,  that  one  is  reminded  of  the  days  of 
Cromwell.  He  was  the  Bayard  of  the  Southern 
army  ;  without  blemish  or  reproach. 

As  soon  as  the  armies  had  rested,  preparation 
was  begun  for  another  campaign,  when  General 
Hooker  received  information  that  General  Lee  had 
started  northward.  He  at  once  put  his  army  in 
motion  to  follow  him.  During  the  march  General 
Hooker  retired  from  the  command  of  the  army, 
and  was  succeeded  by  General  Meade. 

The  appointment  of  General  Hooker  to  the 
command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  proved  to  be 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  99 

most  unfortunate.  While  he  was  a  brave,  splendid 
fighter,  yet  he  lacked  the  coolness  of  a  great  com- 
mander. He  could  not  work  a  great  army.  At 
the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  he  never  got  more 
than  one-half  of  his  -splendid  army  into  battle,  and 
some  of  them  got  in  on  their  own  hook.  He  was 
hot-headed,  impetuous,  and  passionate ;  and  what 
made  matters  still  worse,  he  loved  whiskey. 

After  he  left  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  in  the 
fall  of  1863,  the  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Army 
Corps  were  consolidated,  forming  the  Twentieth 
Army  Corps.  With  it  he  went  to  reenforce  Gen- 
eral Grant  at  the  battle  of  Chattanooga,  or  Look- 
out Mountain,  where  he  did  some  splendid  fighting. 
But  during  the  campaign  of  Atlanta  he  got  dis- 
pleased at  something,  and  asked  to  be  relieved. 
He  died  in  Cincinnati  some  years  afterward,  from 
paralysis. 

General  George  G.  Meade,  who  succeeded  him, 
was  a  fine  soldier.  He  came  out  in  command  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Reserves.  As  a  brigade  com- 
mander, as  a  division  commander,  and  as  corps 
commander,  he  had  been  eminently  successful. 
A  better  selection  could  not  have  been  made. 
Taking  command  of  the  army  while  it  was  on 
the  march,  he  had  many  things  to  contend  with  ; 
but  he  brought  it  upon  the  field  of  Gettysburg, 
notwithstanding  the  hot  and  dusty  march,  in  fine 
shape.  We  arrived  on  the  field  of  Gettysburg 


ioo  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  We  had  a 
brisk  engagement  with  the  enemy  as  soon  as  we 
arrived,  and  were  compelled  to  retreat  through  the 
suburbs  of  Gettysburg. 

A  lieutenant  of  my  battery,  Lieutenant  Wills, 
was  mortally  wounded.  My  captain  ordered  me 
to  take  charge  of  him,  and  see  that  no  harm  befell 
him.  I  took  him  into  a  house  and  laid  him  upon 
a  sofa.  There  was  no  one  in  the  house:  I  think 
they  had  gone  into  the  country  for  their  health. 
My  lieutenant  lived  but  a  few  minutes.  He  had 
given  me  his  watch,  a  picture  of  his  wife,  and  a 
letter  which  he  had  written  to  her  that  morning. 

o 

In  the  letter  he  had  predicted  to  her  his  death  in 
that  battle. 

As  I  looked  out  of  the  window  of  the  house, 
I  saw  the  Confederate  soldiers  swarming  all  about 
it.  I  saw  at  once  that  I  was  in  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy. I  put  the  keepsakes  in  my  pocket,  and 
ran  down  cellar  and  into  a  room  where  the 
farmer  kept  his  milk,  cheese,  butter,  and  such. 
The  cellar  was  dimly  lighted  from  the  west. 

The  little  village  of  Gettysburg  was  largely 
what  is  called  an  agricultural  town,  that  is,  many 
of  the  farmers  lived  in  it  and  were  cultivating 
farms  that  were  adjacent  to  it;  and  this  happened 
to  be  one  of  those  farm-houses. 

I  soon  took  in  the  situation,  and  already  hear- 
ing footsteps  up-stairs,  and  knowing  the  instincts 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  ife.7 

of  a  soldier  well  enough  to  know  they  would 
be  down-stairs  hunting  for  something  to  eat, 
I  came  out  of  the  room,  and  getting  behind  the 
stairway,  took  a  seat  on  a  barrel.  I  wanted 
some  of  that  milk  and  cheese  awfully  bad:  but 
soon  down  came  the  rebel  soldiers,  and  as  they 
passed  me,  I  fell  into  line  and  went  into  the  little 
room  with  them,  and  drank  milk  and  cream  out  ot 
the  same  earthen  milk-pan  with  men  whom  I  had 
been  fighting  half  an  hour  before. 

I  remember  as  I  was  drinking  from  the  first 
milk-pan,  a  Confederate  soldier  who  was  waiting 
to  take  his  turn  at  it,  became  impatient  for  his 
turn,  and  saicl:  ''Come,  chum,  hurry  up  now;"  and 
when  he  saw  so  little  left  in  the  pan  as  I  handed  it 
to  him,  he  said:  "My  God,  chum,  what  a  capac- 
ity you  have  for  drink!" 

Then  I  found  some  pickles  and  some  ginger- 
bread, and  got  a  big  hunk  of  cheese.  I  then 
retreated  with  the  boys,  but  was  very  careful  to 
fall  in  behind  and  unobserved  take  my  place  again 
on  the  barrel  behind  the  stairway.  A  half  dozen 
delegations  came  down  in  the  next  two  or  three 
hours,  and  each  time  the  same  thing  was  gone 
through  with:  each  time  I  fell  in  with  them  and 
went  into  the  little  room,  to  prevent  myself  being 
discovered  by  anyone  who  was  bent  on  investiga- 
tion. I  filled  myself  chuck  full  of  milk,  cream, 
gingerbread,  cheese,  and  pickles,  without  any 


102  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

detriment  whatsoever  to  myself.  I  wish  I  could 
do  that  now.  Early  in  the  morning  the  rebels 
were  driven  back  again,  and  I  found  my  command 
without  any  difficulty. 

Late  in  the  evening  of  the  2nd  of  July,  and  the 
second  day  of  the  battle,  I  started  out  with  some 
canteens,  to  fill  them  with  cool  water  for  myself 
and  some  comrades.  A  large  spring  which  was  on 
the  field,  was  in  our  hands  late  in  the  afternoon; 
but  it  seemed  later  that  the  Confederates  had 
expanded  themselves  and  taken  it  in.  I  care- 
fully made  my  way  through  the  dark  to  the  spring. 
I  filled  my  canteens,  and  noticed  quite  a  number 
of  men  filling  canteens  at  the  same  time.  All  I 
could  see  of  them  was  the  dark  outlines  of  their 
forms. 

When  I  finished  filling  my  canteens,  a  man 
at  my  side  said:  ''Chum,  may  I  have  your  dipper 
to  fill  my  canteen?" 

I  said  yes,  and  gave  it  to  him ;  but  that  word 
"chum"  was  a  word  not  in  vogue  with  us,  so  I 
asked  him  what  command  he  was  in. 

"Why,"  he  said,  "Hood's  command,  Third 
Texas." 

"What  command  is  yours?"  said  he. 

I  had  a  lie  all  ready  for  him ;  I  told  him  the 
Fourth  North  Carolina.  Just  then  he  had  finished 
his  canteens  and  handed  the  dipper  back  to  me, 
when  another  man  asked  me  for  the  dipper.  I  let 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  103 

him  have  it,  but  I  had  lost  all  interest  in  that 
dipper.  However,  I  succeeded  in  getting  into  our 
lines  without  any  trouble. 

The  next  morning  about  nine  o'clock  our 
battery  was  ordered  to  reenforce  General  Farns- 
worth.  We  started  on  our  journey.  Just  at  that 
moment  I  was  not  dreaming  of  any  danger,  but  a 
sharpshooter,  who  was  posted  somewhere  out  of 
sight  up  among  the  rocks,  drew  a  bead  on  me  and 
let  me  have  it.  When  I  was  struck  by  that  bullet 
the  sensation  was  peculiar;  it  seemed  to  me  as 
though  I  went  right  up  into  the  sky  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.  A  spiritualist  friend  of 
mine  said  my  soul  did,  but  that  it  came  back  again. 
Well,  I  am  glad  it  did  change  its  mind,  and  not 
leave  me  on  such  a  slight  pretext  as  that.  My 
comrades  say  I  fell  like  a  log.  When  I  came  to 
myself  my  battery  had  disappeared,  but  my  horse 
had  remained  with  me  and  was  smelling  me.  The 
first  thing  that  I  did  was  to  ascertain  what  was  the 
matter.  I  rose  to  a  sitting  position,  when  I  felt 
the  blood  trickling  down  both  sides  of  my  body. 
On  raising  my  blouse,  I  found  I  had  been  shot 
through  the  stomach,  the  bullet  coming  out  close 
to  my  back-bone,  without  in  any  way  injuring  it. 
I  at  once  lay  down  on  my  side.  I  thought  I 
would  live  about  half  an  hour.  I  had  seen  men 
similarly  wounded,  and  they  usually  died  within  an 
hour. 


104  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

Do  you  ask  what  I  thought  while  I  lay  there? 
Well,  not  much  of  anything.  I  thought  what  kind 
of  a  sensation  I  would  experience  in  my  last 
moments.  I  was  not  at  all  afraid  to  die.  I  had 
never  in  my  life  consciously  done  any  man  a  wrong, 
and  never  desired  to  harm  any  one,  except  in  the 
discharge  of  my  duty  as  a  soldier.  I  had  no 
desire  to  injure  anybody,  not  even  the  Czar  of 
Russia.  I  at  that  time  took  comparatively  little 
interest  in  religion.  My  early  training  had  been 
that  of  a  Catholic,  but  I  had  now  ceased  to  be  one. 
I  loved  God  and  my  fellow  men.  I  believed  in 
the  Bible;  at  least  what  I  knew  about  it.  I  had 
never  read  the  book  at  that  time,  but  had  read 
Bible  stories,  which  constituted  all  of  my  Bible  lore. 
I  believed  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul  and  in  the 
recognition  of  our  friends  hereafter,  and  did  not 
doubt  that,  in  case  of  my  death,  I  would  soon  be 
with  my  father  and  mother  in  the  happy  land.  And 
I  believed  in  Christ;  so  the  thought  of  death  did 
not  worry  me. 

While  I  was  lying  there, — perhaps  it  had  been 
twenty  minutes  from  the  time  I  had  recovered  my 
consciousness, — a  young  man  belonging  to  the 
ambulance  corps  came  along  and  asked  me  about 
my  wound.  I  told  him.  He  told  me  to  lay  over 
on  my  back,  and  as  soon  as  he  could  he  would 
send  a  stretcher  for  me  and  take  me  from  the 
field.  As  the  day  was  very  hot,  I  took  my  hat  and 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  105 

shaded  my  face.  All  at  once  a  new  sensation 
took  possession  of  me  :  it  was  like  an  electric  thrill. 
I  almost  shouted  with  gladness.  I  knew  I  was  not 
going  to  die,  but  would  soon  be  restored  to  health. 
A  couple  of  men  with  a  stretcher  came  then  and 
took  me  off  the  field. 

Down  under  the  base  of  a  hill  was  a  straw-stack, 
where  there  was  an  improvised  hospital.  As  there 
was  no  fighting  going  on  in  that  part  of  the  field 
that  morning,  I  was  at  once  waited  upon  by  a 
kindly  old  doctor,  who  did  not  belong  to  the  army, 
and  who  evidently  had  come  in  from  the  country. 

As  he  came  up  to  me,  he  said  :  "My  dear 
young  man,  do  you  know  the  nature  of  your 
wound? " 

I  said,  "Yes,  sir." 

''Well,"  he  said,  "if  you  have  not  made  your 
peace  with  your  God,  you  had  better  do  it  at  once, 
as  you  have  but  a  short  time  to  live." 

I  told  him  that  God  and  I  were  on  the  best  oi 
terms,  for  I  had  never  done  any  fussing  with  him. 
He  looked  upon  me  compassionately,  and  told 
them  to  take  me  into  the  shade  near  by,  as  the  sun 
was  very  hot.  I  got  along  excellently  that  day, 
suffering  only  a  little  feeling  of  nausea,  and  that 
was  all. 

About  one  o'clock  the  terrific  artillery  battle 
began  between  the  Confederates  and  our  forces. 
Three  hundred  pieces  of  artillery  were  pouring 


106  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

forth  their  missiles  of  death.  I  had  never  heard 
anything  like  it;  the  earth  where  I  lay  shook  and 
trembled  constantly.  After  two  hours  or  so  it 
ceased,  and  then  after  a  short  interval  it  reopened 
again.  It  was  our  artillery  attempting  to  repel 
Pickett's  charge.  About  half  past  four  they  began 
to  bring  in  the  wounded.  I  soon  lost  all  thought 
of  myself  in  the  groans  and  cries  of  my  suffering 
comrades.  So  many  of  them  were  torn  by  shot 
and  shell,  and  their  suffering  was  awful. 

About  six  or  half  past  six  my  comrade  found 
me.  He  was  overjoyed  when  he  saw  that  I  was 
alive,  but  saddened  at  the  nature  of  my  wound. 
I  told  him  I  was  all  right,  hadn't  suffered  a  bit, 
wasn't  going  to  suffer,  and  expected  to  live  at  least 
seventy-five  years  longer.  He  now  went  off  for  a 
doctor,  and  brought  one,  who,  after  examining  my 
wounds,  asked  me  how  early  in  the  day  I  had  been 
wounded.  I  told  him.  He  said  he  was  astounded 
to  think  that  I  had  lived  so  Icing,  and  told  me  that 
I  would  not  live  an  hour.  My  comrade  expressed 
some  impatience  when  the  doctor  told  him  he  could 
do  all  that  could  be  done  for  me,  and  that  was  to 
keep  my  wound  as  cool  as  possible,  and  for  him  to 
get  a  canteen  of  cold  water  and  to  keep  the  wound 
constantly  wet.  He  did  as  directed,  and  all  night 
long  he  kept  up  his  vigil:  trickle,  trickle,  trickle — 
I  can  feel  the  water  now,  it  seems.  When  morn- 
ing came  I  was  in  fine  condition.  Early  in  the 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  107 

forenoon  I  was  placed  in  an  ambulance  and  taken 
out  near  Hagerstown,  where  I  was  put  into  a  big 
barn  that  had  been  converted  into  a  temporary 
hospital  for  the  mortally  wounded. 

Shortly  after  my  arrival  a  young  man  came 
along,  asked  me  my  name,  my  company  and  age. 
These  items  he  wrote  out  on  a  piece  of  paper,  and 
pinned  it  on  my  blouse.  I  told  him  that  was 
unnecessary,  as  I  expected  to  live  many  years. 

Right  behind  him  was  a  Catholic  sister,  who, 
looking  down  upon  the  piece  of  paper  on  my 
blouse,  said  to  me:  "  You  are  a  Catholic." 

I  said,  "No,   I  am  not." 

"You  have  a  Catholic  name,"  she  said. 

"Yes,"  I  replied,  "  I  have  been  a  Catholic,  but 
I  am  not  one  now." 

She  asked  me  what  I  was. 

I  told  her  I  was  nothing. 

"  Well,  my  poor,  wayward  boy,"  said  she,  "  I 
shall  stay  by  you  until  it  is  all  over  with  you." 

"Well,"  I  said,  "then  you'll  have  to  marry  me, 
as  I  intend  to  inhabit  this  planet  for  some  years  to 
come." 

She  smiled  and  said  nothing,  but  carefully 
watched  over  me  until  I  was  removed  from  the 
barn  hospital. 

In  the  course  of  four  or  five  days  all  had  died 
except  about  a  half  dozen,  and  we  were  taken  to 
Washington  to  the  hospital.  The  doctors  cheered 


io8  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

me  up  by  telling  me  that  I  would  live  only  a  day 
or.  two,  and  wanted  to  label  me  again.  I  refused 
to  let  them,  kept  in  the  best  of  spirits,  laughing 
and  joking  with  my  attendants,  and  in  four  weeks' 
time  I  was  down  on  the  streets;  and  in  eight  weeks 
to  a  day  from  the  time  I  was  wounded,  I  reported 
for  duty.  From  the  day  I  was  wounded,  I  kept 
improving  every  minute.  I  attribute  my  wonder- 
ful recovery  to  the  fact  that  I  was  a  very  young 
man, — lacking  a  few  weeks  of  being  twenty-one, 
—possessed  of  a  happy,  jovial,  hopeful  nature,  and 
I  had  lived  a  good  life.  I  had  never  drunk  liquor, 
or  used  tobacco — except  about  half  of  a  cigar,  and 
I  am  sure  that  I  vomited  that  poison  up  about  as 
soon  as  it  made  a  lodgment.  The  doctors  told 
me  that  I  must  have  come  of  a  splendid  line  of 
ancestry,  who  had  led  pure  lives,  as  there  was  not 
the  slightest  evidence  of  any  poison  in  my  system. 
I  do  not  know  how  that  may  have  been,  but  I  got 
well,  and  was  able  in  two  months  to  eat  hardtack, 
corned  beef,  and  <(  sow-belly,"  and  digest  it  all 
right  and  return  to  my  duty. 

A  few  days  after  my  return  to  my  battery,  I 
was  ordered  to  return  to  Washington  and  report 
to  General  Casey's  examining  board.  I  passed 
my  examination  so  successfully  that  it  was 
announced  to  me  as  soon  as  I  was  mustered  out  oi 
the  Second  Artillery,  that  I  would  receive  a  commis- 
sion in  the  regular  army.  I  was  at  once  mustered 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  109 

out  of  my  company,  went  to  Washington,  reported 
to  headquarters  (war-office) ,  where  I  received  a 
commission  as  colonel  in  the  United  States  colored 
troops,  You  may  be  surprised,  but  I  was  very 
much  disappointed  with  the  outcome  of  this.  Had 
I  received  the  commission  of  second  lieutenant 
with  white  troops,  I  would  have  been  delighted ; 
but  with  the  prejudice  I  then  had,  if  I  had  re- 
ceived the  commission  of  major-general  in  the  col- 
ored troops,  I  would  have  hesitated.  I  went  out 
to  Georgetown  and  saw  the  men  that  I  was  to 
convert  into  soldiers — that  was  enough.  I  went 
back  to  the  city,  returned  my  commission,  had 
the  order  mustering  me  out  of  my  company  re- 
scinded, and  returned  to  my  bugle  again. 
I  am  more  than  ever  convinced  in  the  face  of 
recent  events  that  the  formation  of  colored  regi- 
ments in  our  regular  army  is  a  mistake.  The 
gulf  between  the  two  races  is  so  deep  and  the 
predjudices  so  strong  that  it  has  been  a  continued 
source  of  trouble  and  contention  in  our  army  and 
increasing  rather  than  diminishing,  so  it  is  for  the 
best  that  our  army  should  be  composed  entirely 
of  the  white  race. 

Shortly  after  I  returned  to  my  command  the 
army  made  an  advance  over  the  Rapidan,  in  an  at- 
tempt to  surprise  General  Lee ;  but  owing  to  the 
blunders  of  a  drunken  general,  the  opportunity  was 
lost,  and  we  returned  toCulpepper,  Va.,  for  winter. 


io  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Reorganization  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac — Preparation  for  the 
campaign  of  1864 — Grant  visits  us — Opening  of  the  campaign — Battle  of 
the  Wilderness — Terrible  slaughter — Changing  of  our  base  to  Petersburg 
— Siege  of  Petersburg  begun. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  again  reorganized, 
the  First  and  Third  Corps  broken  up  and  put  into 
other  corps.  My  corps,  the  Fifth,  received  a  large 
portion  of  the  First  Corps.  General  Meade 
labored  all  that  winter  to  bring  the  army  to  the 
highest  state  of  efficiency  for  the  great  campaign 
which  we  knew  was  before  us.  General  Grant 
visited  us  and  reviewed  us,  and  it  was  well  under- 
stood that  he  would  be  with  us  to  conduct  the 
campaign.  The  record  of  General  Grant  had  been 
such  that  he  had  the  confidence  of  the  entire  army, 
as  well  as  of  the  country  ;  and  during  all  of  the 
time  that  he  was  with  us,  it  grew  instead  of  dimin- 
ishing. He  was  cool,  wise,  and  tactful. 

The  first  of  May  we  opened  our  campaign  in 
the  Wilderness  with  a  series  of  battles  lasting 
twelve  days,  which  took  the  name  of  "Battle  of  the 
Wilderness."  It  should  have  been  called  the 
''Battles  of  the  Wilderness."  It  took  the  name 
"the  Wilderness"  from  the  fact  that  the  country 
over  which  we  struggled  was  heavily  wooded.  In 
the  twelve  days  of  that  struggle  the  Union  army 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  m 

lost  seventy  thousand  men  in  killed,  wounded  and 
missing.  It  was  a  battle  of  giants:  the  strategy  of 
Lee  was  pitted  against  the  strength  and  courage 
of  Grant.  Finally,  Grant,  seeing  the  futility  of 
attempting  to  force  Lee  back,  changed  his  base  to 
Petersburg.  In  doing  so  we  fought  what  was 
known  as  the  celebrated  second  battle  of  Cold 
Harbor.  It  took  that  name  from  the  fact  that  a 
battle  had  been  fought  on  the  same  ground  during 
the  Peninsular  Campaign  of  1862.  It  proved  to  be 
the  most  awful  and  destructive  battle  of  the  war, 
for  the  time  it  lasted.  In  one  half  hour  Grant  lost 
sixteen  thousand  men  in  killed,  wounded  and 
missing.  Grant  always  said  he  made  a  great 
mistake  in  fighting  that  battle,  as  nothing 
was  gained  by  it  except  the  slaughter  of  men. 

We  now  began  the  siege  of  Petersburg,  which 
lasted  from  June,  1864,  till  March,  1865.  The  coun- 
try would  not  have  permitted  so  long  a  siege  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war,  but  the  people  had  learned 
something  since  then;  the  press  of  the  country 
had  learned  something;  and  all  had  confidence  and 
faith  in  the  patriotism  and  the  ability  of  General 
Grant,  and  were  willing  to  trust  him  and  to  let  Grant 
and  the  President  run  things,  believing  all  would 
go  well.  If  they  had  felt  so  at  the  beginning  of  the 
conflict,  it  would  have  been  better  for  all  concerned. 

During  the  winter  of  1864-65  we  saw 
unmistakable  evidence  of  the  disintegration  of 


ii2  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

Lee's  army ;  desertions  became  very  frequent,  and 
those  who  came  to  us  were  half  starved  to  death. 
Grant  and  Sheridan  had  perfected  their  plans,  and 
were  ready,  as  soon  as  the  roads  permitted,  to  give 
Lee's  forces  a  stunning  blow. 

On  the  26th  of  March  the  campaign  opened. 
The  battle  of  Five  Forks  was  fought:  then  began 
the  great  struggle  that  ended  in  the  surrender  of 
Lee.  Lee  was  compelled  to  evacuate,  Petersburg 
which  uncovered  Richmond,  and  that  city  at  last 
fell.  Lee  started  up  the  valley,  evidently  to  try  to 
reach  Lynchburg.  The  enthusiasm  of  our  army 
on  this  march  was  boundless.  The  officers  could 
hardly  get  their  men  to  rest.  They  had  got  Lee 
on  the  run  at  last,  and  were  determined  to  keep 
him  moving.  When  he  reached  Appomattox  he 
found  Sheridan  in  front  of  him — that  ended  the 
matter.  I  shall  never  forget  the  enthusiasm  when 
we  learned  that  the  two  great  generals,  Grant  and 
Lee,  had  met  under  a  flag  of  truce  and  were  nego- 
tiating for  a  surrender.  Then  came  the  news  of 
the  agreement  of  the  surrender  of  Lee.  Our  divi- 
sion was  appointed  to  receive  the  surrender. 
General  Grant  gave  strict  orders  that  there  should 
be  no  cheering  or  exultation  at  the  surrender. 
"For,"  said  he,  "remember  that  they  are  no 
longer  our  enemies,  but  our  countrymen.  "  There 
was  no  disposition  for  exultation.  We  had  fought 
these  men  for  four  years;  we  had  tested  their  man- 


Miss  Mary  Sobieski. 

(At  the  age  of  twenty.) 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  113 

hood  upon  forty  fields  of  battle ;  we  knew  that  they 
were  sincere  in  their  convictions  that  their  cause 
was  right.  So  the  least  thought  of  our  hearts  was 
the  spirit  of  exultation.  On  that  lovely  morning 
of  April,  twenty-eight  thousand  starved,  ragged, 
and  destitute  men  marched  out  and  stacked  their 
arms  and  broke  ranks,  and  the  war  was  practically 
over. 

We  divided  our  rations  with  them;  you  would 
never  have  imagined  that  we  had  been  foes.  We 
freely  mingled  with  each  other;  there  was  no  dis- 
cord. 

After  a  few  weeks  my  battery  was  ordered  to 
Washington.  I  was  not  mustered  out  of  the  service 
until  the  26th  of  June.  I  desired  very  much  to 
take  part  in  the  great,  grand  last  review  in  Wash- 
ington. The  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  reviewed 
one  day,  and  Sherman's  army  the  next  day.  I 
remember  as  we  marched  down  Pennsylvania 
Avenue,  the  shouting  of  the  mighty  hosts  of  people 
who  witnessed  our  march,  and  this  inscription  on  a 
banner  that  stretched  across  the  avenue:  ''There 
is  one  debt  that  the  nation  can  never  pay,  and  that 
is  the  debt  that  is  due  to  its  soldiers."  The  next 
day  Sherman's  army  was  reviewed.  How  anxious 
I  was  to  see  that  mighty  army  of  men  and  leaders! 
Sherman,  Logan,  Blair,  and  others*;  and  then  the 
mighty  army  itself — men  who  had  marched  from 
Atlanta  to  the  sea,  then  north  to  Washington:  and 


ii4  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

when  I  came  to  witness  their  parade,  I  was  filled 
with  pride  for  this  army.  They  looked  every  inch 
the  mighty  men  of  .war  they  were.  I  saw  a  sight 
those  two  days  that  probably  will  never  be 
witnessed  in  this  country  again:  two  hundred 
thousand  veteran  soldiers,  whose  average  service 
was  three  years  ;  who  had  gone  through  a  war  such 
as  no  other  army  in  the  world's  history  had  ever 
seen,  and  probably  will  never  see  again. 

On  the  26th  of  June,  1865,  I  was  mustered  out 
of  the  service.  I  was  at  last  an  American  citizen. 
For  ten  years  I  had  served  in  the  army  of  my 
adopted  country  ;  I  had  fought  forty-two  battles  in 
defense  of  her  flag;  I  had  been  under  fire  four 
hundred  and  twenty-six  times ;  had  never  seen  a 
sick  day,  except  when  I  was  suffering  from  the 
wound  which  I  received  at  Gettysburg ;  was  never 
in  the  guard  house ;  never  under  arrest ;  never 
reprimanded  but  once,  and  that  was  under  circum- 
stances that  brought  no  discredit  upon  me  ;  had 
drunk  no  liquors  of  any  kind — and  to  this,  more 
than  anything  else,  I  attribute  my  good  fortune. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  115 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Interest  in  the  struggle  for  liberty  in  Mexico — Interview  with  the 
Mexican  minister,  Romero — Commission  to  raise  men  to  go  to  Mexico — 
Take  a  vacation  for  a  couple  of  months — Go  to  New  Orleans — Informed 
by  the  United  States  authorities  that  we  will  be  arrested  if  we  proceed 
to  Mexico — Arrested — Discharged  on  parole  of  honor — Determined  to 
go  at  every  hazard — Finally  enter  Mexico  by  way  of  Sonora. 

I  had  taken  great  interest  in  the  contest  in 
Mexico,  between  there  public  on  one  side  and  the 
so-called  empire  on  the  other.  There  was  a  great 
deal  of  sympathy  throughout  the  nation  for  the 
Mexican  Republic. 

I  do  not  think  it  would  be  out  of  place  here  to 
give  the  causes  which  led  up  to  the  invasion 
of  Mexico  by  France  and  Spain.  The  Mexican 
Republic  had  had  a  stormy  existence.  The 
people  had  suffered  so  long  from  Spain,  and 
when  at  last  liberated,  they  did  not  know  much 
about  self-government,  and  had  to  learn  its 
principles.  People  cannot  be  taught  by  books, 
schools,  or  mere  oral  instruction,  the  principles 
of  self-government.  One  might  just  as  well  learn 
how  to  build  houses  or  ships  or  railroads  by 
text-books.  They  must  have  actual  experience; 
they  must  use  the  hammer,  the  plane,  and  the 
square;  learn  by  mistakes  and  blunders.  Just  so 
with  people  learning  to  govern  themselves.  They 
must  learn  by  experience,  and  in  that  way  alone 


n6  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

can  they  ever  learn  to  govern  themselves  or  their 
fellow  men.  The  Mexican  people  were  going 
through  that  school  of  experience,  and  they  did 
learn,  so  that  to-day  Mexico  is  one  of  the  best  and 
most  wisely  governed  nations  in  the  world.  In 
learning  self-government  the  people  found  one 
great  evil  that  had  to  be  righted.  The  people  in 
Mexico  at  that  time  were  Catholics,  and,  in  fact, 
outside  of  the  foreign  element  in  Mexico,  to-day 
the  people  of  that  country  are  practically  members 
of  the  Catholic  Church. 

The  progressive  element  in  1856  found  that 
not  less  than  two-thirds  of  the  real  estate  belonged 
to  the  Church;  and  there  were  other  abuses  that 
necessarily  arose  where  all  the  people  belonged 
to  one  church.  Therefore,  the  Liberal  party,  under 
the  leadership  of  Juarez,  made  it  an  issue  at  the 
election  to  remedy  these  wrongs;  and  upon  that 
issue  the  Liberal  party  triumphed,  and  proceeded  to 
confiscate  the  entire  property  of  the  Church,  and  to 
abolish  the  monasteries  and  the  convents.  This 
was  a  very  extreme  measure,  but  reforms  often 
go  to  extremes.  This  was  the  situation,  and  is  the 
situation  in  Mexico  to-day,  that  the  Catholic  Church 
can  only  occupy  their  church  buildings  by  per- 
mission of  the  government,  and  there  are  no  con- 
vents or  monasteries. 

•  Beaten  at  the  polls,  the  Church  party  then 
appealed  to  the  sword  ;  and  there,  too,  they  were 
beaten. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  117 

At  this  juncture  the  Pope  was  appealed  to,  but 
the  Catholic  powers  were  not  disposed  to  interfere. 
Napoleon  of  France,  though  nominally  a  son  of 
the  Church,  was  not  inclined  to  interfere  until  he 
was  approached  in  another  way.  The  next  effort 
was  made  through  Eugenie,  the  empress.  The 
Pope  then  being  a  temporal  prince,  had  a  repre- 
sentative at  the  French  court.  He,  reaching 
Napoleon  through  Eugenie,  held  out  the  grand  idea 
of  the  establishment  of  an  empire  in  Mexico  as  a 
breakwater  against  the  influence  of  the  great 
American  Republic;  and  Napoleon  was  to  have 
the  glory  of  founding  a  Latin  empire  in  the  West. 
Archduke  Maximilian,  a  very  devout,  pious  prince, 
the  brother  of  the  emperor  of  Austria,  was  to  be 
selected  as  its  emperor;  and  he  in  turn  was  to 
pledge  that  as  soon  as  the  empire  was  per- 
manently established,  he  would  restore  to  the 
Church  her  property  and  her  ancient  privileges. 

Some  excuse  now  had  to  be  made  for  making 
war  upon  Mexico,  and  one  was  found.  Mexico 
was  owing  to  the  subjects  of  Isabella  in  Spain,  and 
to  Napoleon  in  France,  bonds  of  the  Mexican 
Republic,  which  had  long  since  become  due,  and 
of  which  neither  principal  nor  interest  had  been 
paid.  Therefore,  both  the  French  and  the  Spanish 
governments  at  once  demanded  prompt  liquidation 
of  the  claims.  The  Mexican  government  replied 
that  it  was  not  within  its  power  to  do  so  at  that 


n8  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

time  ;  that  it  had  not  the  money  in  the  treasury, 
neither  was  it  in  condition  to  float  a  loan. 

War  was  at  once  declared  against  Mexico,  and 
France  and  Spain  sent  a  fleet  with  an  army  to 
enforce  their  demands.  They  landed  at  Vera  Cruz, 
bombarded  and  captured  that  city,  and  began  their 
advance  toward  the  capital.  Then  and  there  an 
agreement  of  some  kind  was  made  by  the  Mexican 
government  with  the  Spanish  government,  and  a 
proposition  was  made  to  the  French  government  of 
a  similar  character,  that  was  eminently  fair,  and  yet 
was  rejected  by  the  French  government.  The 
Spanish  government  now  saw  the  ambitious 
designs  of  the  French  emperor,  and  withdrew. 

The  French  pressed  on  toward  the  city  of 
Mexico,  where,  after  many  hard  battles,  in  which  the 
French  were  sometimes  defeated,  they  at  last  suc- 
ceeded in  capturing  the  city  of  Mexico,  the  capital 
of  the  republic. 

The  French  general  called  together  an  assembly 
of  notables,  as  it  was  termed,  but  it  was  made  up 
almost  exclusively,  if  not  exclusively,  of  the  Con- 
servative, or  Church  party.  They  had  their  instruc- 
tions, and  immediately  made  known  to  the  French 
government,  or  emperor,  that  they  desired  the 
establishment  of  an  empire,  with  Archduke 
Maximilian,  of  Austria,  as  their  emperor.  The 
French  emperor  informed  them  that  he  was  only 
too  delighted  to  carry  out  their  wishes,  Maximilian 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  119 

was  communicated  with,  and  he  promptly  accepted. 
He  and  his  wife,  Carlotta,  landed  at  Vera  Cruz  with 
every  demonstration  of  enthusiasm.  It  was  said 
that  their  whole  journey  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  city 
of  Mexico  was  one  constant  ovation,  and  with 
magnificent  display  they  were  installed  in  the  halls 
of  the  Montezumas.  But  it  was  noticed  all  the 
while  that  those  who  joined  in  the  ovations  were 
only  the  French  soldiers  and  the  Church  party. 

While  President  Juarez  was  driven  from  the 
largest  cities,  he  retired  into  the  mountain 
regions  in  the  interior,  and  kept  up  a  battle  for 
the  republic  that  challenged  the  admiration  of  the 
whole  world  and  called  forth  the  sympathy  of  the 
lovers  of  liberty  everywhere.  The  empire  was  at 
once  acknowledged  by  all  the  nations  of  the  world, 
except  the  United  States.  Our  government,  under 
the  leadership  of  the  great  and  enlightened 
Lincoln,  took  the  position  that  no  nation  should  be 
governed  without  the  consent  of  the  governed. 
But  our  nation  at  that  time  was  engaged  in  the 
Civil  War  and  could  not  interfere,  though  a  day  of 
reckoning  came.  Our  government  all  the  while 
recognized  only  the  republic,  and  its  minister, 
Romero.  This  was  the  situation  in  June,  1865. 

Having  determined  that  I  would  go  to  Mexico, 
I  went  to  General  Hancock,  told  him  my  desire, 
and  asked  him  if  he  would  not  give  me  a  letter  of 
introduction  to  the  Mexican  minister,  Romero.  He 


120  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

said  he  would  do  so  gladly.  Hancock  at  this  time 
was  in  command  at  Washington. 

I  obtained  an  interview  with  Romero.  After 
reading  my  letter  of  introduction,  he  received  me 
warmly.  We  had  a  long  talk  together;  he  told 
me  that  he  would  give  me  any  kind  of  commission 
that  I  wanted,  but  I  was  modest  and  only  asked 
for  one  as  a  colonel.  Romero  said  that  as  for  pay, 
I  would  have  to  take  my  chances.  I  told  him  I 
didn't  want  any  pay;  all  I  wanted  was  to  fight  for 
liberty  in  Mexico. 

I  caused  to  be  put  in  the  paper  this  announce- 
ment: "An  excursion  to  Mexico:  all  who  desire 
to  make  a  visit  to  Mexico  call  at  the  Roanoke 
Hotel,  room  twenty.  No  one,  except  those  who 
have  served  in  the  Union  army  for  three  years, 
need  apply." 

In  less  than  ten  days  I  had  one  hundred  men 
and  over;  good,  true  men,  sober,  thoughtful, 
patriotic,  who  were  willing  to  do  and  dare.  It  was 
arranged  that  we  should  meet  about  the  middle  of 
August  in  New  Orleans.  I  spent  the  time  mean, 
while  in  visiting  some  old  army  friends  in  Michigan 
and  Illinois,  and  arrived  at  New  Orleans  on  the 
14th  of  August.  Some  of  my  men  had  already 
arrived.  Being  young  men,  we  talked  too  much, 
and  the  government  heard  of  it  and  informed  me 
that  such  an  expedition  would  not  be  allowed.  I 
went  right  on  making  preparations  just  the  same. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  121 

On  the  morning  of  our  contemplated  departure  we 
were  all  arrested  by  the  order  of  General  Sheridan, 
and  found  that  we  had  been  arrested  under  the 
Anti-filibustering  Act.  But  they  let  us  go,  on  con- 
dition that  we  would  agree  not  to  undertake  to 
reach  Mexico  until  we  had  been  discharged  from 
our  arrest,  and  that  we  would  report  to  the  provost 
marshal  each  morning.  Thus  for  three  weeks  we 
put  in  our  time  in  that  way ;  putting  in  the  day  as 
as  pleasantly  as  possible,  and  in  the  evenings 
going  over  to  the  French  market,  drinking  their 
fine  coffee,  and  flirting  with  the  pretty  black-eyed 
French  girls. 

I  had  sought  the  counsel  of  Mr.  Rosier,  who 
was  the  leading  lawyer  of  New  Orleans.  When  I 
laid  before  him  our  case,  he  said  that  the  law 
against  filibustering  applied  only  to  those  persons 
who  were  contemplating  the  invasion  of  a  nation 
with  whom  this  government  was  at  peace,  with 
hostile  intent,  and  that  in  this  case  our  government 
had  never  recognized  in  any  way  the  government 
of  Maximilian,  and  that  we  were  going  to  fight  him 
— not  to  fight  the  republic,  but  to  defend  it ;  but 
the  great  trouble  at  that  time  was  this:  everything 
was  in  a  chaotic  condition,  the  military  ruled  every- 
thing, and  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  was  suspended. 

It  was  just  while  Mr.  Rosier  was  considering 
by  what  kind  of  process  he  could  get  us  into  court, 
that  General  Sheridan  arrived  at  New  Orleans  and 


122  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

invited  us  up  to  headquarters  to  see  him.  He 
gave  us  some  good  fatherly  advice.  He  told  us- 
that  we  had  violated  no  law,  but  said  we  must  not 
go  to  Mexico.  He  said  Maximilian  could  not  exist 
one  day  in  Mexico  without  the  French  soldiers, 
and  that  our  government  had  determined  that  the 
French  soldiers  must  get  out  of  Mexico,  and 
had  so  informed  the  emperor  of  France;  and 
if  the  French  did  not  go,  that  he,  Sheridan, 
would  be  sent  over  with  an  army  to  drive  them 
out ;  and  then  if  we  wanted  to  fight,  we  could 
fight  all  we  wished  to.  He  said  if  we  would 
give  him  assurance  that  we  would  return  to  our 
several  homes,  he  would  order  our  discharge.  A 
few  of  us  told  him  we  would  consider  the  matter ; 
but  we  were  all  discharged  the  next  morning,  and 
those  who  desired  to  go  home,  said  through  their 
spokesman  that  they  felt  they  ought  to  take  the 
advice  of  General  Sheridan,  that  their  object  in 
going  to  Mexico  had  not  been  one  of  adventure  or 
romance,  but  purely  to  aid  the  Mexican  Republic 
in  the  fight  for  existence,  and  as  that  could  be 
better  accomplished  by  the  power  of  the  United 
States  government,  and  if  our  going  might  compli- 
cate the  negotiation  now  going  on  with  the  French 
government,  they  felt  it  was  their  duty  to  return 
home.  Ten  of  us  considered  it  our  duty  to  go  to 
Mexico ;  so  we  sadly  parted  company. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski,  123 

Upon  consultation,  our  little  party  deemed  it 
best,  in  order  to  prevent  any  possible  conflict  with 
the  authorities,  to  reach  Mexico  by  going  west 
through  New  Mexico,  by  the  way  of  Sonora.  It 
was  a  long  journey  to  take.  Three  more  of  the 
company  changed  their  minds  when  we  arrived  at 
Santa  Fe,  and  concluded  to  go  on  to  California. 
We  persevered  on  our  way,  and  arrived  at  the 
camp  of  the  patriots  October  16th,  1865,  just  six- 
teen days  after  the  so-called  Emperor  Maximilian 
had  issued  the  celebrated  order  that  every  man 
found  fighting  for  the  republic,  if  captured,  should 
be  immediately  shot.  The  issuing  of  this  order 
by  Maximilian  cost  him  his  life. 


r  24  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Arrival  in  camp  of  patriots — Their  little  army — Different  nationali- 
ties— The  character  of  the  Mexican  greaser — I  trust  them  and  find  them 
reliable — What  we  had  to  eat — The  way  the  contest  was  carried  on — A 
thrilling  adventure. 

I  found  the  little  band  that  I  first  reached  com- 
prised of  about  six  hundred, — that  is,  *  when  they 
were  all  in  camp, — without  quartermaster,  commis- 
sary, wagons  or  artillery;  armed  with  all  kinds  of 
fire-arms,  of  ancient  and  modern  makes.  The 
little  army  was  composed  of  Americans,  English, 
Germans,  French,  Canadians,  Russians,  Scotch, 
Irish,  Grecians,  and  pure  Mexicans — that  is,  if  there 
is  such  a  thing  as  a  pure  Mexican ;  and  we  were 
of  all  religions  and  no  religion,  and  those  of  no 
religion  were  in  the  decided  majority. 

The  day  of  my  arrival  I  had  a  long  talk  with  a 
young  Englishman,  who  was  on  the  staff  of  Colonel 
Conteena.  He  told  me  that  the.  greasers,  who 
would  form  the  bulk  of  our  followers — probably 
three-fourths  or  more — were  very  peculiar,  and  I 
would  find  them  unlike  any  other  part  of  the 
human  family;  that  they  were  lazy,  unreliable,  and 
treacherous,  and  that  the  only  way  to  get  along 
with  them  was  to  treat  them  as  though  they  were 
dogs;  that  when  I  ordered  one  to  do  anything, 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  125 

and  he  didn't  start,  to  go  right  at  him  and  kick 
hirr.  until  he  did  start;  when  I  was  out  on  the 
march  with  them,  I  should  never  let  them  get 
behind,  for  they  would  be  liable  to  stab  me  in  the 
back;  and  never,  under  any  circumstances,  to  go 
to  sleep  with  them,  unless  there  was  some  white 
man  on  watch,  as  they  would  be  liable  to  convert 
me  into  a  ghost,  if  I  did. 

This  was  the  gloomy  outlook  that  I  had  before 
me;  these  were  the  men  that  I  had  come  so  many 
thousand  miles  to  fight  for,  and  to  die  with  for  lib- 
erty. I  informed  the  young  officer  that  I  should 
treat  these  men  as  human  beings,  as  men,  and  that 
I  had  no  fears  as  to  the  result.  I  told  him  that 
I  thought  I  saw  where  the  trouble  was ;  that  if 
any  man  should  kick  me,  that  he  would  live  just 
long  enough  for  me  to  get  at  him  to  kill  him ;  that 
I  should  treat  these  men  in  every  respect  as  my 
equals,  should  not  kick  them,  and  when  out  on  a 
march  I  wouldn't  care  whether  they  walked  before 
me  or  behind  me  ;  that  I  should  go  to  sleep  with- 
out leaving  anyone  to  watch  over  me,  and  had  no 
fears  whatsoever  of  the  result.  And  in  the  eighteen 
months  that  I  was  with  these  men,  I  treated  them 
kindly,  trusted  them  implicitly,  ate  with  them, 
slept  with  them,  and  never  received  anything  but 
kindness  and  courtesy  from  them. 

I  found  that  it  was  the  policy  of  the  Mexican 
government  to  avoid  anything  like  a  general 


126  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

engagement  with  the  imperial  troops,  but  to  watch 
for  the  enemy  and  catch  him  every  time  when  he 
was  unguarded,  to  strike  him  at  every  unguarded 
spot,  and  not  permit  a  day  to  pass  that  he  could 
fancy  himself  secure.  This  was  a  wise  policy,  and 
in  this  way  we  could  have  kept  up  the  war  indef- 
initely. We  always  knew  where  the  enemy  was; 
there  was  never  an  hour  in  the  year  but  eyes  were 
upon  the  foe,  ready  to  report  any  mistake. 

For  our  commissary — we  had  none  at  all ;  we 
had  to  live  on  the  country,  literally.  We  learned 
to  eat  everything  that  flew  in  the  air  or  crept 
upon  the  earth.  Mingling  with  those  people  who 
were  composed  of  all  bloods,  caused  me  to  lose  all 
my  race  prejudice;  and  being  compelled  to  eat 
everything  made  me  lose  all  my  prejudice  in 
regard  to  foods.  I  got  so  that  I  would  eat  a 
rattlesnake  as  quick  as  I  would  a  bluefish  or  a 
chicken. 

During  the  eighteen  months  that  I  served  in 
the  Mexican  army,  I  had  many  adventures,  and 
desperate  ones,  too;  but  the  size  of  this  volume  will 
not  permit  me  to  go  into  the  history  of  all  of  these. 
As  no  prisoners  were  taken  on  either  side,  we 
always  went  out  to  fight  the  foe  with  our  lives  in  our 
hands. 

Upon  one  occasion,  word  was  brought  to  us 
that  a  small  French  force  of  fifteen  or  twenty  men 
had  taken  possession  of  a  sugar-ranch  down  in  the 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  127 

valley,  for  the  purpose'  of  confiscating  the  sugar 
and  sirups  belonging  to  the  old  planter,  who  was 
a  good,  true  republican.  Their  location  had  been 
described  to  us,  and  we  knew  just  where  to  strike 
them ;  so  I  took  twenty-five  men  and  started  out  to 
sweep  them  off  the  face  of  the  earth.  I  think  most 
everybody  has  heard  the  old  adage  of  the  one  who 
went  out  for  wool  and  came  home  shorn.  Well,  it 
was  fully  exemplified  in  our  case. 

A  path  through  the  thicket  had  been  described 
to  us,  by  which  we  could  easily  approach  the 
enemy  unobserved.  There  was  no  moon  that 
night,  but  plenty  of  beautiful  stars,  such  as  they 
have  in  that  glorious  country.  As  we  approached 
the  enemy,  we  saw  by  their  light  where  the  men 
had  lain  themselves  down  on  their  blankets. 
They  had  evidently  made  a  fire  and  had  thrown 
some  green  cane  upon  it  to  make  a  smudge  to 
keep  off  the  mosquitoes.  The  mosquito  is  quite  an 
animal  in  that  country.  It  was  a  volume  of  smoke 
that  could  not  be  perceived  in  the  dark  that  led  us 
into  our  fatal  mistake.  I  had  directed  my  men  to 
creep  as  close  to  the  enemy  as  possible,  and  when 
I  gave  the  signal,  to  aim  and  fire.  They  did  so: 
but,  Jerusalem!  instead  of  the  little  party  that  we 
annihilated  on  our  first  fire,  we  found  the  woods 
were  full  of  them ;  they  rose  up  everywhere. 
Finding  that  if  we  remained,  it  meant  massacre,  I 
ordered  my  men  to  escape  the  best  they  could  to 


128  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

the  thickets.  The  French  were  pouring  their  fire 
in  upon  us,  and  I  saw  the  men  falling  everywhere. 
In  my  flight  I  ran  behind  a  cane  factory  that  had 
been  used  quite  recently,  as  there  was  a  large 
amount  of  the  debris  of  the  cane  still  at  the  mill, 
and  I  found  it  right  in  front  of  me.  In  my  attempt 
to  go  over  it — for  there  was  no  way  to  go  around 
it  without  running  into  the  French — I  stumbled 
and  fell,  and  the  ground  cane  fell  over  me  in  large 
abundance,  covering  me  completely  with  per- 
haps two  or  three  feet  of  the  debris.  I  concluded 
to  lie  there.  The  French  soldiers  went  over  me — 
I  thought  about  a  thousand  of  them,  but  probably 
fifty  was  nearer  the  number. 

After  they  had  passed  I  began  to  reflect  upon 
my  situation.  I  came  to  the  conclusion  it  would 
be  better  to  lie  there  until  the  French  returned, 
and  then,  if  possible,  creep  out  and  get  to  the 
thicket.  Soon  they  returned,  very  much  excited 
and  noisy.  I  knew  that  I  must  get  out  of  there  as 
soon  as  possible,  as  daylight  would  soon  come, 
and  that  would  be  fatal.  I  considered  the  ques- 
tion whether  I  would  take  my  carbine,  or  blunder- 
buss, with  me.  I  dare  not  undertake  to  find  the 
path  through  the  thicket  through  which  I  had 
come,  as  the  entrance,  I  feared,  lay  in  the  hands 
of  the  enemy ;  and  so  I  must  get  into  the  thicket 
at  the  nearest  point  and  take  my  chances,  and  be 
guided  back  to  camp  by  the  stars.  I  cautiously 


Louie  S.  Gilhousen. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  129 

crawled  out  from  my  hiding  place  into  the 
opening ;  and  was  glad  enough  to  get  into  the 
opening,  too,  for  I  knew  that  no  place  anywhere 
could  be  hotter  than  my  hiding  place  had  been. 
It  had  been,  indeed,  a  veritable  Turkish  bath. 
The  distance  to  the  thicket  was  probably  sixty 
rods.  I  concluded  not  to  attempt  to  take  my  car- 
bine with  me,  but  to  rely  upon  my  revolver  for  any 
emergency.  Stealthily  on  my  hands  and  knees  I 
crawled  to  the  thicket,  and  when  I  got  into  it  I 
congratulated  myself;  but  a  thicket  in  that  country 
is  a  thicket.  One  who  has  never  seen  the 
"shrambles"  of  Mexico  cannot  appreciate  any- 
thing about  their  density ;  and  then  they  are  thorny, 
and  there  is  among  them  a  large  population  oi 
insects  to  the  square  foot.  But,  guided  by  the  stars, 
I  slowly  and  painfully  crawled  along,  and  finally 
succeeded  in  getting  into  camp  just  as  daylight 
had  begun  to  dawn. 

When  I  arrived  my  body  was  in  the  condition 
of  our  first  parents  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  but 
bleeding  all  over,  and  without  even  an  apron  of  fig 
leaves.  I  was  the  only  one  of  my  company  that 
ever  returned.  At  once  a  consultation  was  called, 
and  we  decided  to  move,  as  a  precaution  against 
being  pursued  by  the  French.  We  learned  after- 
ward that  after  dark  a  whole  regiment  of  French 
soldiers,  some  five  or  six  hundred  men,  had 
arrived  at  the  plantation;  and  this  was  the  force  our 
little  squad  had  got  into. 


130  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  meeting  with  General  Escobedo — Become  a  member  of  his 
staff — The  French  rapidly  leaving  the  country — News  arrives  that  the 
last  detachment  of  French  has  left,  and  that  Maximilian  has  left  the  city 
of  Mexico  and  gone  out  to  Queretaro,  where  he  proposes  to  make  his 
last  stand — His  capture,  trial,  death — My  impressions  of  the  Mexican 
leaders  and  their  corps.  .  ,  „. 

In  January,  1867,  General  Escobedo  arrived 
and  took  command  of  our  force.  I  was  introduced 
to  him  shortly  after  his  arrival,  and  found  him  an 
elegant  gentleman,  a  fine  soldier,  and  of  a  chival- 
rous nature.  For  some  reason  he  took  quite  a 
fancy  to  me  from  the  first,  and  shortly  afterward  I 
became  a  member  of  his  staff.  A  little  incident 
occurred  about  this  time  that  shows  the  simple, 
primitive  character  of  the  Mexican. 

There  was  a  lieutenant  in  our  command  whom 
I  had  known  ever  since  joining  the  Mexican  army. 
In  our  march  we  had  come  within  a  short  distance 
oi  his  home.  His  handsome  daughter,  a  girl  about 
fourteen,  came  to  camp  with  her  mother  to  see  her 
father.  She  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  girls  I 
ever  saw,  and  in  that  warm  country  girls  become 
young  ladies  very  early.  I  have  seen  mothers 
there  twelve  years  old.  I  was  introduced  to  his 
wife  and  daughter,  and  took  a  meal  with  them. 
They  belonged  to  what  we  would  call  the  lower 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  131 

order  of  the  Mexicans,  and  yet  among  this  class 
sometimes  you  meet  magnificent  specimens  of 
both  men  and  women. 

After  his  family  had  left,  I  complimented  him 
upon  his  beautiful  daughter,  just  as  I  would  a  happy 
father  in  this  country,  who  had  such  a  treasure.  I 
thought  nothing  more  of  it,  but  he  seemed  to  have 
misjudged  me.  He  came  to  me  some  few  days 
afterward  and  wished  to  borrow  some  money  of  me* 
I  had  brought  with  me  into  the  Mexican  service 
about  two  hundred  dollars  in  gold.  There  was  no 
chance  to  spend  any  of  it,  so  I  had  most  of  it  still 
on  hand.  I  loaned  him  a  ten-dollar  gold  piece, 
the  amount  he  had  asked  for,  yet  he  continued 
waiting  around.  Finally,  he  came  to  business  by 
offering  me  the  hand  of  his  beautiful  daughter.  It 
seems  that  is  a  custom  in  that  country.  I  was  quite 
taken  by  surprise,  but  the  Mexicans  are  so  sensi- 
tive that  one  has  to  approach  them  very  carefully. 
Nothing  was  further  from  my  thoughts,  then,  than 
becoming  a  benedict,  and  I  could  not  think  ot 
marrying  a  Mexican  lady,  however  beautiful,  as  the 
ways  and  natures  of  Mexicans  were  entirely  foreign 
to  my  own,  and  so  I  must  decline  the  offer.  I 
thanked  him  for  the  high  compliment  he  had  paid 
me  in  offering  me  the  hand  of  his  beautiful  daugh- 
ter, but  reminded  him  that  we  were  in  an  uncertain 
contest  and  our  lives  were  not  promised  us  for  a  sin- 
gle day.  He  frankly  told  me  that  would  be  no 


t32  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

^reat  misfortune  to  her,  as  she  could  very  readily 
get  another  husband.  With  this  I  coincided,  but 
urged  other  reasons,  and  among  them,  that  I  was 
a  heretic  in  religion,  and  that  his  beautiful  daughter 
could  never  be  happy  as  the  wife  of  a  heretic.  I 
knew  he  was  a  very  devout  Catholic,  and  that  last 
objection  seemed  to  be  satisfactory,  for  I  saw  him 
visibly  shiver  as  I  mentioned  it.  He  then  departed, 
and  I  congratulated  myself  on  my  diplomacy. 

We  were  now  ordered  to  Queretaro,  where  we 
arrived  May  14th.  There  I  met  for  the  first  time 
President  Juarez,  and  General  Diaz,  now  President 
of  Mexico,  and  other  leaders  of  the  republican 
forces.  I  saw  again  a  regular  "army — one  of  forty 
thousand  men — composed  of  artillery,  cavalry  and 
infantry.  Plans  were  made  at  once  to  attack.  I 
had  been  on  Escobedo's  staff,  but  now  I  was  to 
lead  a  brigade  in  the  assault.  We  were  lying 
upon  our  faces  waiting  for  the  first  appearance  of 
daylight  to  attack.  We  were  to  attack  them  on 
every  side;  but  Maximilian  had  been  sold  out  by 
Lopez,  one  of  his  Mexican  generals,  and  I  was 
told  about  two  o'clock  that  there  would  be  no  bat- 
tle. General  Escobedo  entered  the  city,  relieved 
the  Imperial  guards  at  every  point — all  of  this 
happening  while  Maximilian  was  sound  asleep. 
He  only  awoke  to  find  himself  a  prisoner  of  war. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  133 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  summoning  of  a  military  commission  to  try  Maximilian — 
Universal  demand  for  his  death — Found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  death, 
which  was  to  cake  place  within  five  days  of  his  sentence — The  trial  of 
Generate  Miramon  and  Mejia — Efforts  made  by  the  different  European 
nations  and  the  United  States  government  to  save  Maximilian — The 
refusal — His  death — Reflections. 

I  did  not  see  Maximilian  until  the  second  day 
after  his  capture,  when  I  had  charge  of  him  for  a 
day.  I  do  not  think  he  had  the  slightest  idea  of 
his  impending  doom.  I  am  told  that  when  he  was 
informed  he  was  about  to  be  tried,  he  seemed  very 
much  surprised,  and  asked  on  what  charge.  He 
was  told  the  charges  were  being  formulated,  and 
they  would  be  submitted  to  him  soon.  He  asked 
if  he  could  have  counsel,  and  was  informed  he 
could  have  any  one  whom  he  might  choose.  He 
chose  an  American,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Hall, 
from  the  city  of  Mexico.  Mr.  Hall  was  sent  for  at 
once,  and  the  trial  proceeded. 

The  two  principal  charges  against  him  were: 
first,  issuing  his  celebrated  order  executing  all  who 
were  found  fighting  to  sustain  the  republic;  second, 
of  being  a  filibuster,  as  a  subject  of  Francis  Joseph 
of  Austria,  making  war  upon  a  nation  with  whom 
Austria  was  at  peace.  He  was  found  guilty,  and 
at  once  sentenced  to  be  shot  within  five  days  ol 
the  time  of  the  sentence.  Upon  this  being  made 


i34  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

known  to  him,  he  asked  that  he  might  have  proper 
time  to  prepare  for  so  important  an  event.  This 
was  granted  him,  and  the  19th  of  June  was  fixed 
as  the  day  of  his  execution.  Generals  Mejia 
and  Miramon  were  tried  upon  the  charge  of  being 
traitors  to  their  country,  and  also  sentenced  to  be 
shot,  the  date  of  their  execution  being  fixed  the 
same  day  as  that  of  the  archduke. 

Great  efforts  were  at  once  put  forth  by  all  of 
the  European  powers  to  save  Maximilian's  life. 
They  remonstrated,  threatened,  protested,  and 
entreated.  Finally,  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  his 
brother,  asked  the  United  States  government  to 
use  its  good  office  and  influence  to  save  the 
doomed  man,  and  this  was  done. 

I  am  sure  that  President  Juarez  disliked 
exceedingly  to  put  Maximilian  to  death,  and 
above  all  would  have  liked  to  grant  the  request  of 
the  United  States,  to  which  country  he  felt  every 
sense  of  gratitude  for  the  part  our  government  had 
taken  in  compelling  the  French  to  evacuate 
Mexico :  but  that  terribly  cruel  order  Maximilian 
had  issued,  by  which  so  many  noble  men  had  per- 
ished, caused  practically  all  of  Mexico  to  demand 
his  death;  and  however  much  President  Juarez 
was  loved  and  adored,  he  could  not  have  prevented 
the  execution.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  felt  just 
that  way  myself — that  he  had  to  die. 

One  day  when  I  had  charge  of  him,  I  said  to 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  135 

him:  "  Your  Majesty  remembers,  no  doubt,  when 
you  were  the  viceroy  of  Italy,  that  you  ordered  the 
expulsion  from  all  of  your  domain,  of  those  political 
refugees  who  had  taken  part  in  the  demonstration 
of  honor  to  Captain  Ingraham,  of  the  United 
States  navy." 

He  said,  "Yes,"  without  raising  his  head. 

I  said,  "Your  Majesty,  I  was  one  of  those  refu- 
gees." 

Now  for  the  first  time  he  raised  his  eyes,  and 
said:  "That  is  impossible,  as  that  was  many  years 
ago,  and  you  are  a  very  young  man." 

I  said,  "  Yes,  that  was  sixteen  years  ago,  and  I 
was  but  a  very  small  boy,  but  your  order  excluded 
me." 

"Well,  time  rounds  up  all  things,"  was  the 
reply. 

Among  those  who  were  taken  prisoners  at  the 
time  with  Maximilian,  was  Prince  Salm  Salm.  The 
prince  had  been  a  brave  soldier  in  the  Union  army. 
The  United  States  government  asked  that  he 
might  be  liberated,  and  he  was.  His  wife  was  an 
American  lady,  and  a  very  beautiful  woman;  a 
woman  of  wonderful  power  and  fascination.  She 
was  so  charming  that  when  she  went  through  the 
hospitals  in  Washington,  the  boys  used  to  say  that 
if  she  would  visit  the  hospitals  every  day,  they 
could  discharge  their  doctors,  as  she  would  do 
more  by  her  charming  smiles  and  manners  to  restore 


136  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

them  to  health  than  all    of  the  doctors  and  theii 
medicine. 

Upon  her  arrival  in  Queretaro,  we  found  ou 
that  she  began  at  once  to  use  her  blandishments 
and  fascinations  to  affect  an  escape  for  Maximilian, 
One  Mexican  officer  who  was  to  have  charge  oi 
him  one  day,  was  offered  by  the  princess  three 
hundred  thousand  dollars  in  gold.  He  was  a  man 
who  did  not  possess  a  dollar  in  the  world,  but  such 
was  his  patriotism,  and  the  universal  hatred  which 
was  borne  toward  Maximilian,  that  he  spurned  the 
offer.  After  the  development  of  this  attempt  to 
bribe,  the  charming  princess  was  informed  that 
there  was  a  good  deal  of  malaria  in  Queretaro, 
and  for  the  good  of  her  health  she  had  better 
return  to  the  city  of  Me'xico.  She  went  at  once. 

The  last  three  or  four  days  of  Maximilian's  life 
were  spent  almost  wholly  with  the  priest.  On 
the  morning  of  the  execution,  June  19th,  1867. — a 
beautiful,  bright  morning, — he  was  taken  out  of 
the  old  convent  where  he  was  captured,  and  where 
he  had  lived  during  the  time  he  was  in  our  custody, 
and  there  placed  in  an  ambulance,  and  driven  out- 
side of  the  walls  of  the  city,  near  an  old  fortress, 
where  the  execution  took  place. 

Arriving  on  the  ground,  the  troops  were  formed 
in  line.  The  doomed  men  were  placed  in  position, 
Maximilian  standing  on  the  right  of  the  firing 
party.  The  firing  party  consisted  of  thirty-six 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  137 

men,  formed  into  two  companies,  six  men  to  each 
one  of  the  doomed  men.  Each  of  the  six  men 
were  furnished  with  loaded  rifles,  except  one  in 
each  of  the  six,  who  had  a  blank  cartridge.  There 
had  been  a  sharp  rivalry  for  the  honor  of  belong- 
ing to  the  firing  party.  I  was  selected  to  com- 
mand the  reserve  firing  party.  When  everything 
was  ready,  each  one  of  the  men  was  asked  if  he 
had  anything  to  say. 

Maximilian,  speaking  in  Spanish,  said  in  sub- 
stance, that  he  loved  Mexico  and  desired  its  wel- 
fare ;  and  if  the  shedding  of  his  blood  would  be  the 
means  of  bringing  peace  and  happiness  to  the  dis- 
tracted country,  he  was  willing  to  die.  Generals 
Mejia  and  Miramon  said  a  few  words  that  I  do  not 
now  remember,  closing  by  saying:  "Long  live 
Mexico."  Maximilian  asked  that  the  commander 
of  the  firing  party  might  advance  to  him,  when  he 
delivered  to  that  officer  six  pieces  of  gold,  which  is 
equivalent  to  about  ten  dollars  of  our  money.  He 
ordered  a  piece  of  gold  to  be  delivered  to  each  one 
of  the  firing  party,  directing  them  to  take  good  aim. 

The  firing  party  was  now  ordered  to  advance, 
make  ready — aim — fire.  The  two  generals  fell  dead, 
apparently  never  moving  after  they  struck  the 
ground.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  Maximilian  fell 
mortally  wounded  only,  exclaiming  as  he  fell:  "Oh! 
my  God!  my  God!  "  At  once  the  commander  of 
the  reserve  firing  party  ordered  one  of  the  men 


138  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski, 

from  his  own  party  to  advance, 'and  jdraw  ing  his 
own  revolver,  ordered  him  to  put'it  to  the  ear  of 
the  archduke  and  fire.  He  did  so,  and  the  career 
of  the  archduke  was  ended.  I  ordered  him  to  use 
my  revolver  for  this  reason,  that^I  did  not  know 
who  of  the  firing  party  had  the  blank  cartridge , 
and  I  did  not  wish  any  more  mishaps,  and  thus  add 
to  the  misery  of  the  unfortunate  man.  Thus 
ended  the  career  of  the  so-called  emperor.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  lacked  about  a  month  of  being 
thirty-five  years  of  age. 

It  seems  very  strange  now  that  Emperor 
Napoleon  should  have  chosen  such  a  weak  man  for 
such  a  trying  place.  A  more  unfortunate  selection 
could  not  have  been  made.  Maximilian  was  a  man 
of  exceedingly  small  caliber,  but  probably  as  good 
as  the  average  monarch  of  Europe.  He  would 
have  done  well  enough  to  have  acted  as  a  mere 
figurehead,  as  most  of  the  monarchs  of  Europe  are 
— indeed,  I  think  he  would  have  been  eminently 
successful  in  that  role.  Unlike  most  of  the  mon- 
archs of  Europe  of  to-day  and  of  the  past,  he  was  a 
man  of  sound  morals.  He  was  a  very  handsome 
man — I  should  say  at  least  six  feet  high,  a  blonde, 
and  rather  pleasing  in  his  manners.  He  was  well 
calculated  for  the  ballroom  and  the  palace.  I 
believe  that  a  strong,  wise,  discreet  man  could 
have  succeeded  in  the  role  that  he  attempted  to 
play  in  Mexico;  but  it  required  all  of  these  qualities, 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  139 

and  he  possessed  none  of  them.  He  treated  all  of 
his  Mexican  chieftains  with  contempt,  which  is  the 
natural  feeling  that  everyone  has  for  a  traitor.  It 
is  said  he  took  up  the  precious  time  which  he 
should  have  used  in  maturing  measures  for  the 
consolidation  of  his  empire,  in  settling  questions  of 
etiquette  about  his  court. 

His  wife,  Carlotta,  who  was  the  daughter  of 
the  King  of  the  Netherlands,  was  a  bright,  able, 
and  beautiful  woman,  liberal  in  her  views,  and 
broad  in  her  ideas  of  statecraft.  Had  she  been 
the  ruler,  I  believe  she  would  have  succeeded. 

The  conduct  of  Maximilian  while  waiting  for 
execution  in  the  last  month  of  his  life,  was  becom- 
ing. This  was  surprising  to  those  who  knew  him, 
but  I  think  I  can  understand  it.  He  was  a  deeply 
religious  man,  and  had  no  doubt  in  his  mind  but 
when  he  died  his  soul  would  immediately  pass  into 
the  abode  of  the  blest,  and  he  would  at  once  join 
his  Carlotta — for  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  sup- 
posed that  she  was  dead,  as  it  was  so  represented 
to  him;  and  then  he  was  aware  of  the  fact  that  he 
belonged  to  one  of  the  most  ancient  royal  houses 
of  Europe,  and  that  the  manner  of  his  tragic  death 
would  be  such  that  the  whole  world  in  all  ages  to 
come  would  read  of  his  every  act,  word,  and  move- 
ment during  that  last  eventful  month  of  his  life. 

The  world  seems  to  think,  or  rather,  I  might 
say  the  impression  is  general,  that  Carlotta  went 


i4°  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

crazy  on  account  of  the  tragic  death  of  her  hus- 
band. This  is  a  mistake;  she  had  gone  mad  a 
year  previous  to  his  death.  After  the  French 
agreed  to  leave  Mexico,  Carlotta  returned  to 
Europe  and  went  from  court  to  court  begging  help 
to  sustain  Maximilian,  but  was  rebuffed  every- 
where; and  it  was  too  much  for  her  proud,  sensi- 
tive spirit,  and  she  went  mad,  and  has  remained  so 
even  unto  this  day. 

There  are  some  who  would  try  to  apologize 
for  Maximilian  and  save  him  from  the  discredit  of 
that  awful,  blood-thirsty  and  cruel  order,  trying  to 
do  so  by  throwing  the  blame  on  others — Mejia, 
Miramon,  and  Bazaine ;  but  the  whole  thing  is 
characteristic  of  the  Austrian  reigning  house.  It 
has  been  said  that  he  was  a  weak  man,  and  there- 
fore could  not  do  such  a  bloody  thing;  but  weak 
men  more  often  than  strong  ones  do  cruel  things. 
Nero  was  not  a  strong  man,  neither  was  Mary  of 
England  a  strong  woman. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  14 l 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

My  impressions  of  President  Juarez,  Escobedo,  and  Diaz. 

The  next  day  after  the  execution  of  Maximilian 
I  met  President  Juarez  personally  for  the  first  time. 
He  gave  an  audience  to  the  foreign  officers  who 
had  served  in  behalf  of  the  republic.  We  had  a 
long  talk  with  him.  In  our  group  there  were 
Americans,  English,  Germans,  French,  and  Italians. 
All  of  these  different  nationalties  had  been  drawn 
to  Mexico  by  a  love  of  adventure  and  to  serve 
the  cause  of  liberty.  The  President  won  our 
hearts  at  once.  He  warmly  thanked  us  for  our 
services  in  behalf  of  Mexico.  He  addressed  us  in 
the  Spanish  language,  or  rather  the  Mexican  dia- 
lect, as  we  could  all  understand  him  in  that.  He 
said  it  was  useless  for  him  to  express  his  sense  of 
gratitude  to  us,  as  he  had  not  words  and  could  not 
find  words  to  express  it;  and  he  said  all  that 
Mexico  could  do  for  us  would  never  be  half 
enough.  He  said  that  for  Mexicans  to  fight  for 
Mexico  was  natural;  but  for  foreigners  who  had  no 
other  ties  except  the  love  of  liberty  and  a  desire  to 
assist  a  brave  people  who  were  struggling  against 
tearful  odds,  to  make  every  sacrifice  and  to  suffer 
every  privation  for  the  republic,  was  a  spirit  so 
noble  that  it  could  not  be  put  into  language. 


142  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

For  some  reason  or  other  my  associates  chose 
me  as  their  spokesman,  although  I  was  the 
youngest  of  the  group,  lacking  at  that  time  a  few 
months  of  being  twenty-five.  I  assured  him  in 
behalf  of  my  associates  that  what  we  had  done, 
we  had  done  freely ;  that  we  desired  neither  gold 
nor  lands ;  that  we  had  been  amply  repaid  in  see- 
ing the  cause  for  which  we  had  served  triumphant, 
and  Mexico  free;  and  we  felt  assured  that  Mexico 
had  taught  the  world  a  good  lesson,  and  that 
hereafter  ambitious  adventurers  would  see  in  the 
fate  of  Maximilian  that  Mexico  was  not  a  good 
country  for  them  to  trouble. 

As  we  shook  him  by  the  hand  at  the  close  ot 
our  interview,  he  said  he  hoped  that  we  would  all 
conclude  to  spend  the  rest  of  our  lives  in  a  land  in 
defense  of  whose  liberties  we  had  fought  so  nobly. 

I  saw  him  quite  a  number  of  times  afterward, 
while  in  Mexico,  and  enjoyed  several  chats  with 
him.  In  one  of  the  visits  I  had  with  him,  he  gave 
me  the  full  history  of  the  causes  which  led  up  to 
the  invasion  of  Mexico,  which  I  have  given  in 
a  former  chapter,  and  which  Minister  Romero  had 
given  me  in  my  interview  with  him  in  Washington. 

I  regard  President  Juarez  as  one  of  the  noblest 
characters  that  we  have  any  record  of  in  history. 
He  was  a  full-blooded  Indian,  yet  he  had  risen 
up  through  every  obstacle,  until  he  reached  the 
highest  position  in  the  gift  of  his  nation.  On  com- 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  143 

ing  to  public  life,  he  saw  that  the  great  incubus 
upon  that  republic  was  the  clergy;  that  they  owned 
more  than  two-thirds  of  the  real  estate  of  Mexico, 
that  they  were  thoroughly  monarchical  in  their 
principles,  and  that  nothing  would  satisfy  them  but 
monarchy  ;  and  that,  as  far  as  the  education  of  the 
masses  was  concerned,  they  were  bitterly  opposed 
to  it.  So  it  was  their  aim  to  keep  up  such  a 
tumult,  insurrection,  rebellion,  that  the  people  at 
last,  weary  from  the  struggle,  would  willingly  yield 
themselves  to  some  despot.  Appreciating  the  true 
situation  of  his  country,  he  was  determined  to 
inaugurate  and  lead  a  movement  that  should  give 
both  peace  and  liberty  to  his  people;  and  to  do  this 
he  was  called  upon  to  make  a  great  sacrifice  of  his 
feelings.  He  was  a  Catholic;  he  knew  practically 
nothing  of  any  other  kind  of  religion;  an  Indian 
Catholic  at  that,  knowing  nothing  but  submission 
to  the  priesthood.  He  wished  to  live  and  die  in 
communion  with  the  church.  He  saw  before  him 
excommunication,  ostracism,  and  possibly  death  in 
disgrace;  but,  nevertheless,  he  was  determined  to 
strike  the  blow.  He  knew,  too,  what  a  people  he 
had  to  contend  with ;  a  people  that  were  ignorant, 
as  far  as  the  mass  was  concerned  ;  a  people  that 
were  superstitious,  and  thoroughly  devoted  to  the 
clergy  -•  but  he  was  determined  to  make  the  trial. 
He  gathered  about  him  some  of  the  most  progres- 
sive men  of  the  republic,  and"  laid  his  plans  before 


144  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

them.  They  at  once  joined  him  with  one  accord 
in  the  movement.  Then  began  that  tremenduous 
struggle  that  ended  only  on  the  19th  of  June,  1867, 
just  ten  years  from  the  time  of  his  inauguration. 
His  theory  as  to  the  real  cause  of  the  trouble  in 
Mexico  has  proven  to  be  correct ;  for  though  thirty- 
two  years  and  more  have  passed  since  the  execu- 
tion of  Maximilian,  yet  in  all  that  time  there  has 
not  been  enough  blood  shed  in  insurrections  to 
equal  what  has  been  spilled  in  some  of  our  bloody 
strikes  and  riots.  He  was  thoroughly  humane  in 
his  feelings,  and  was  very  much  opposed  to  blood- 
shed. So  much  was  he  opposed  to  it,  that,  as  much 
trouble  as  Maximilian  had  given  his  country,  and 
notwithstanding  the  cruel  decree  of  the  emperor, 
by  which  so  many  of  Mexico's  noble  sons  had  been 
cruelly  butchered  while  prisoners  of  war,  if  Juarez 
had  had  his  own  way  he  would  not  have  executed 
him.  And  he  told  me  that  he  regretted  Mejia's 
and  Miramon's  executions,  and  that  if  he  had  had 
it  in  his  power,  he  would  have  sent  them  out  of  the 
country  instead;  and  yet  two  worse  traitors  could 
not  be  imagined.  Mejia  had  been  a  soldier  in  the 
Mexican  army;  Miramon  had  been  not  only  a 
general,  but  a  president  of  the  republic  ;  and  yet 
they  had  joined  themselves  together  to  slaughter 
their  own  countrymen  and  to  perpetuate  the  reign 
of  a  foreign  prince. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  145 

As  soon  as  the  republic  was  thoroughly  estab- 
lished, Juarez  Went  to  work  to  enlighten  it.  He 
reduced  the  army  to  a  minimum,  established 
schools  free  from  clerical  influences,  and  secured 
the  very  best  of  teachers.  And  the  best  paid 
officials  in  Mexico  to-day  are  her  school-teachers ; 
and  under  the  operation  of  her  free-school  system 
the  Republic  of  Mexico  has  in  a  single  generation 
raised  the  standard  of  popular  intelligence  till  it 
will  compare  favorably  with  that  of  our  own  coun- 
try. He  invited  capital  to  Mexico,  promising  it 
protection;  encouraged  the  construction  of  rail- 
roads and  the  establishing  of  manufactures ;  and 
he  capped  the  climax  of  his  magnificent  career  by 
establishing  perfect  religious  liberty.  He  died  in 
1872,  of  apoplexy.  He  was  the  real  founder  of  the 
Mexican  Republic.  He  was  Mexico's  greatest 
general,  greatest  statesman,  purest  patriot. 

I  did  not  see  much  of  Diaz.  My  opinion  of 
him  at  that  time  was  not  favorable,  and  his  con- 
duct afterward  in  opposing  Juarez  rather  confirmed 
that  unfavorable  opinion;  but  after  he  became 
President  he  carried  out  the  enlightened  views  of 
Juarez,  and  has  given  to  Mexico  a  splendid 
government. 

General  Escobedo  I  knew  well.  I  found  him 
an  elegant  gentleman,  sincere  and  patriotic.  He 
was  a  splendid  soldier;  tall,  graceful  in  carriage, 
gracious  to  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact, 


T46  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

brave  in  battle,  and  chivalrous.     He  was  my  ideal 
of  a  perfect  soldier. 

The  general  impression  in  this  country  is  that 
the  Mexican  people  are  treacherous,  and  when 
their  passion  is  aroused,  cruel.  I  never  found  them 
so;  I  found  them  frank,  cordial,  and  polite.  Like 
the  people  of  all  warm  or  hot  climates,  if  they  are 
deeply  wronged,  their  revenge  is  terrible.  No 
doubt  there  are  treacherous  persons  amongst  them, 
but  what  nation  of  people  has  not  that  class?  I 
think  I  have  found  a  few  outside  of  the  Mexicans 
myself. 

As  an  illustration  of  their  way  of  revenge, — 
yet  I  do  not  know  whether  I  should  say  their 
way,  for  I  have  known  of  similar  cases  in  our 
Northern  country, — while  I  was  in  the  city  of 
Mexico,  a  couple  of  months  after  the  war  was  over, 
I  had  been  out  one  night  calling  on  a  friend. 
Returning  about  midnight,  I  saw  standing  in  the 
shadow  of  a  large  tree  a  man  who  was  apparently 
waiting  for  someone.  I  had  a  small  one-barrel 
pistol  in  a  side  pocket;  I  put  my  hand  upon  it. 
While  I  had  wronged  no  man  or  person  in  Mexico, 
yet  I  thought  sometimes  mistakes  were  made,  so 
it  was  better  to  be  prepared.  When  I  arrived 
opposite  him  he  leaped  at  me  like  a  tiger.  I 
quickly  stepped  aside,  just  in  time  to  avoid  him, 
and  stuck  my  revolver  in  his  face,  when  the  beau- 
tiful moonlight  fell  on  the  faces  of  both  of  us.  I 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  14? 

shall  never  forget,  if  I  should  live  a  thousand  years, 
the  expression  of  hatred  and  the  desire  for  revenge 
that  I  saw  on  that  man's  countenance;  and  then 
his  surprise  when  he  saw  my  face.  He  dropped 
his  knife  immediately,  begged  my  pardon  a  thou- 
sand times,  it  seemed,  which  I  readily  granted. 
He  gave  me  his  card,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  and 
asked  me  to  call  and  see  him.  I  assured  him  if  I 
remained  in  the  city  long  enough  I  would  do  so, 
but  other  engagements  during  my  few  remaining 
days  in  the  city  prevented  me  from  calling.  It 
was  clearly  a  case  of  mistaken  identity,  and  might 
have  been  a  costly  one  to  me. 

Shortly  before  I  left  Mexico  the  Congress  of 
Mexico  conferred  upon  all  of  those  who  had  come 
from  other  lands  to  fight  for  the  cause  of  liberty 
without  any  financial  consideration,  the  rights  of 
citizenship,  and  ten  thousand  acres  of  land  upon 
any  unoccupied  domain  of  Mexico.  I  have  never 
called  for  my  land. 

There  is  something  very  remarkable  about  this 
invasion  of  Mexico  by  France  and  Spain  that  I  have 
never  seen  mentioned  by  any  writer:  it  is  the  terri- 
ble fatality  or  misfortune  that  has  befallen  all  the 
individuals  who  had  any  connection  with  it. 

The  two  Mexican  generals  and  leaders,  Gen- 
eral Mejia  and  ex-President  Miramon,  were  both 
declared  to  be  traitors  by  a  jury  of  their  country- 
men, and  sentenced  to  death. 


148  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

Pope  Pius  IX,  who  influenced  France  and  Spain 
to  make  war  upon  Mexico,  lost  his  power  as  a 
temporal  prince,  and  his  capital,  Rome,  and  shut 
himself  up  in  the  Vatican,  declaring  himself  to  be 
a  prisoner  of  the  King  of  Italy,  and  never  left  the 
Vatican  alive  again.  His  minister  or  delegate,  as 
the  title  is,  afterward  fell  into  disgrace  and  com- 
mitted suicide. 

Eugenie,  the  empress  of  France,  who  intrigued 
to  secure  her  husband's  cooperation  in  the  expedi- 
tion, lost  her  throne,  her  husband,  and  her  son; 
and  she  has  now  for  nearly  37  years  been  an  exile 
in  England,  a  grief-stricken,  heart-broken  woman. 
The  Emperor  Napoleon  led  his  country  into  war 
with  terrible  defeat,  broke  the  prestige  of  his 
uncle's  great  name,  was  driven 'from  his  throne, 
and  died  in  disgrace,  an  exile  in  England. 

Isabella  of  Spain  lost  her  throne,  and  for  more 
than  thirty  years  has  been  living  in  exile. 

General  Prim,  who  led  the  Spanish  army  into 
Mexico,  and  the  greatest  military  man  that  Spain 
has  had  in  a  hundred  years,  was  assassinated  in 
the  streets  of  Madrid. 

Marshal  Bazaine  was  tried  upon  the  charge  of 
being  a  traitor  to  France,  and  was  sentenced  to  be 
shot;  but  his  old  comrade-in-arms,  President 
McMahon,  commuted  his  sentence  to  imprison- 
ment for  life,  and  he  was  confined  for  several 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  149 

years,  but  finally  made  his  escape,  and  died  in 
poverty  and  distress  in  Spain. 

France,  who  had  led  the  movement,  lost  her 
proud  position  as  the  most  powerful  nation  on  the 
continent  of  Europe;  was  humiliated  in  her  war 
with  Germany,  in  which  she  never  won  a  battle  or 
a  skirmish;  had  her  capital  captured  by  the 
Germans;  was  stripped  of  a  large  portion  of  her 
most  valuable  territory,  and  trodden  in  the  dust. 

Spain,  who  seconded  France,  got  into  a  war 
with  the  United  States,  lost  practically  all  of  her 
colonies,  most  of  her  navy,  and  suffered  the  most 
humiliating  defeat  that  any  nation  has  ever  known. 

Surely,  in  this  unparalleled  record,  as  one  con- 
templates it,  can  be  seen  the  retribution  of  God 
for  a  causeless  and  cruel  invasion. 


i5°  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

My  return  to  the  United  States — Visit  different  points  in  the 
United  States — Finally  settle  down  in  Minnesota—  Become  a  reformer  in 
politics — Elected  to  the  legislature — Introduce  three  reform  measures. 

After  spending  a  couple  of  months  in  the  city  of 
Mexico,  and  enjoying  myself  as  I  never  have  before 
or  since  for  the  same  length  of  time,  I  was  finally 
wakened  out  of  my  dreams  of  pleasure,  receptions, 
balls,  celebrations,  and  so  forth,  to  realize  that 
there  was  something  more  serious  for  me  in  hand; 
so  I  turned  my  eyes  toward  the  United  States. 

The  ten  years  which  I  had  served  in  the  United 
States  army,  and  the  battles  I  had  fought  in  the 
country's  behalf,  had  so  imbued  me  with  American 
spirit  and  national  feeling,  that  I  could  never  think 
of  permanently  locating  anywhere  except  in  the 
domain  of  "  Uncle  Sam." 

I  would  not  return  to  my  native  land  and  per- 
manently locate  there,  even  though  it  might  be 
free,  and  all  of  my  ancestral  rights  restored  to  me. 
It  is  my  earnest  desire  that  the  last  time  I  shall 
open  my  eyes  to  behold  the  light  of  day,  it  may  be 
to  look  upon  the  land  of  my  adoption;  and  may  all 
of  my  descendants  ever  abide  under  the  stars  and 
stripes,  in  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the 
brave. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  15  * 

I  landed  in  New  York  the  1st  of  September, 
1867.  After  sojourning  a  few  days  in  New  York, 
I  went  to  Boston.  I  then  proceeded  to  Chicago; 
and  from  there  to  Rochester,  Minnesota,  where  I 
spent  the  winter  and  the  following  spring.  It  was 
while  in  Rochester,  Minnesota,  that  I  became  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Good 
Templars.  I  was  at  that  time  rough  and  uncouth, 
as  one  naturally  would  be  whose  life  had  been 
spent  in  the  army  from  the  time  he  was  twelve 
years  old  until  he  was  twenty-five. 

It  was  in  this  lodge  of  Good  Templars  that  I 
met  a  very  beautiful  young  lady,  Miss  Sophia  D. 
Chapin.  She  took  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  me, 
and  at  once  exercised  a  remarkable  influence  over 
me.  She  was  a  school-teacher,  and  she  did  her 
work  well  with  me.  She  would  chide  me  when  I 
did  wrong,  which  was  quite  often,  and  correct  me  in 
my  speech  and  manners  ;  she  did  wonders  for  me 
the  six  months  that  I  remained  under  her  beautiful 
influence.  We  left  Rochester  about  the  same 
time,  she  to  teach  school  in  Mississippi,  and  I  to 
go  further  west.  We  did  not  meet  again  for 
twenty  years.  At  first  we  exchanged  letters  for  a 
year  or  so,  and  then  our  correspondence  ceased. 

During  the  campaign  for  prohibition  in  North 
Dakota,  in  1889,  I  often  saw  letters  in  the  New 
York  Voice,  written  by  Mrs.  J.  C.  White.  I  liked 
her  letters  very  much  indeed,  and  found  out  that 


152  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

she  and  her  husband,  Captain  J.  C.  White,  w^-re 
conducting  the  campaign  for  prohibition  in  that 
State. 

When  I  spoke  in  Fargo,  I  met  Mrs.  Baxter  of 
Michigan.  She  said  to  me:  "Mrs.  J.  C.  White 
sends  her  regards  to  you,  and  says  that  you  must 
come  to  Castleton  and  visit  them  before  you  leave 
North  Dakota." 

I  replied  that  I  had  read  and  heard  a  good 
deal  about  Mrs.  White,  but  had  never  had  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  with  her;  however,  I  should 
enjoy  meeting  her  and  her  husband  very  much. 

"Why,"  said  Mrs.  Baxter,  "she  said  that  you 
and  she  were  old  friends,  and  that  you  were  one  of 
the  noblest  young  men  she  ever  knew.  She  said 
you  would  know  her  maiden  name,  which  was 
Sophia  D.  Chapin.  " 

How  delighted  I  was  to  hear  of  my  old  civilizer, 
and  friend  of  olden  days,  and  find  her  so  active  in 
a  cause  to  which  I  was  devoting  my  life! 

When  I  arrived  in  Grand  Forks,  I  received  a 
letter  from  Captain  White,  saying  that  I  was 
announced  to  speak  at  Fargo  on  Sunday  night, 
and  asking  me  if  I  wouldn't  speak  in  Castleton 
Sunday  afternoon,  as  the  train  ran  so  that  I  could 
return  to  Fargo  in  time  to  lecture.  He  said  he 
had  heard  so  much  of  me,  and  heard  his  wife  talk 
so  much  about  me,  that  he  was  desirous  of  meeting 
me.  I  accepted  the  kind  invitation,  arrived  there 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  i53 

early  Sunda/  morning,  and  spent  the  hours  very 
pleasantly  talking  over  the  olden  days.  I  spoke 
there  in  the  afternoon,  and  then  Captain  White 
and  his  wife  accompanied  me  to  Fargo  and 
remained  until  Tuesday  morning.  I  found  Cap- 
tain White  a  high-toned,  chivalrous  gentleman,  a 
worthy  husband  of  such  a  noble  woman. 

A  few  weeks  afterward  I  received  a  letter  from 
him,  telling  me  that  he  had  seen  by  the  papers  that 
I  was  to  be  in  Chicago  during  the  session  of  the 
National  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  ; 
that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  attend,  but 
his  wife  would  attend,  and  asking  me  if  it  was  too 
much  to  ask  of  me  to  see  that  his  wife  got  a 
pleasant  stopping  place,  and  to  care  for  her  in  any 
way  that  she  might  need  help  while  she  was  there. 
I  did  so,  and  did  all  I  could  to  make  the  time 
pleasant  for  her. 

She  died  a  few  months  afterward  from 
la  grippe.  Her  husband  survived  her  only  a  few 
weeks,  dying  from  the  same  disease.  Both  of 
them  had  worked  so  hard  during  that  campaign 
which  gave  to  North  Dakota  prohibition,  that  they 
hadn't  strength  enough  to  resist  the  ravages  ot 
disease.  It  is  due  to  them  and  to  the  temper- 
ance people  of  North  Dakota  that  a  suitable 
monument  should  be  erected  at  their  grave,  and 
upon  it  should  be  an  inscription  telling  of  their 
splendid  lives  and  the  sacrifices  they  made  to  give 


154  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

to  North  Dakota  its  constitution  forever  prohibiting 
the  liquor  traffic  in  the  State.  A  brighter  or  more 
beautiful  spirit  than  that  of  Mrs.  Sophia  White 
never  went  through  the  pearly  gates.  *>•****»  ^ 

I  visited  St.  Paul  first,  and  then  Minneapolis, 
finally  settling  down  in  Dayton,  a  suburban  town 
of  Minneapolis,  where  I  spent  my  time  when  not 
working  for  temperance,  in  reading  law.  I  had 
the  good  fortune  while  there  of  making  the 
acquaintance  of  Mr.  E.  H.  Robinson,  a  splendid 
man,  and  his  noble  wife,  who  were  as  true  friends 
as  any  that  God  ever  gave  me.  They  were  loyal 
to  me  in  every  emergency. 

That  fall  a  serious  breach  broke  out  in  the 
Republican  party  of  Hennepin  County,  and  the 
better  element  of  the  party  was  so  dissatisfied  with 
the  nominations  made  in  the  convention  that  they 
bolted.  A  call  fora  convention  to  nominate  a  reform 
ticket  was  immediately  made.  It  was  composed 
of  men  of  all  parties,  and  I  was  nominated  as  one 
of  the  candidates  for  the  legislature.  The  con- 
vention was  presided  over  by  Russell  H.  Conwell, 
who  was  then  a  young  attorney,  and  editor  of  the 
first  daily  paper  of  Minneapolis,  The  Daily 
Chronicle.  Mr.  Conwell  is  now  Rev.  Dr.  Conwell, 
the  celebrated  popular  lecturer,  and  pastor  of  the 
great  University  Baptist  Church  of  Philadelphia, 
the  largest  Baptist  Church  in  the  world. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  155 

I  took  the  stump  during  that  campaign  and 
spoke  in  every  town  in  the  county.  I  was  elected 
by  an  overwhelming  majority,  leading  my  entire 
ticket,  which  to  me  was  quite  remarkable,  as  I  had 
lived  in  the  county  but  a  few  months  :  and  during 
the  entire  campaign  I  proclaimed  myself  first  and 
last  and  at  all  times  a  prohibitionist;  and  to  say 
that  in  that  day  and  in  that  new  country  was  quite 
different  from  what  it  is  now. 

The  legislature  assembled  in  January.  The 
Sunday  before  I  went  to  St.  Paul,  I  was  invited  to 
the  house  of  an  ex-member  of  Congress  to  dine. 
After  dinner  he  took  me  into  his  library  and  said 
he  was  going  to  give  me  some  good  advice.  He 
said  he  had  taken  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  me 
ever  since  he  had  known  me,  and  had  in  every 
way  shown  his  friendship  for  me,  and  continued: 
"Now  you  are  the  kind  of  a  young  man  I 
can  talk  to,  for  the  reason  that  you  don't  have 'any 
symptoms  of  the  big-head.  Now,  my  young  friend, 
you  have  a  brilliant  political  future  before  you,  if 
you  do  not  make  any  mistakes.  There  is  no 
reason  why  you  cannot  be  in  Congress  in  less  than 
ten  years,  if  you  act  wisely.  Now  do  this,  my 
young  friend,  and  you  will  be  all  right:  fully  iden- 
tify yourself  with  the  Republican  party,  and  never 
fly  the  track ;  let  the  Republican  platform  be  your 
creed,  and  never  know  anything  else  or  advocate 
anything  else  except  that  which  you  find  in  the 


.*56  Ltfe  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

platform  of  the  party.  Doubtless,  sometimes  the 
party  will  do  something  and  stand  for  something 
that  you  would  not  wish  to  accept  but  never  mind, 
swallow  it  down.  This  should  always  quiet  your 
conscience:  that  the  average  intelligence  and 
morality  ought  to  be  equal  to  yours,  consequently 
you  should  be  willing  to  submit  to  whatever  a 
majority  of  the  party  says  is  right  and  proper.  Let 
these  social  questions,  such  as  temperance  and 
kindred  questions,  alone;  leave  them  to  the  ministers 
and  to  the  Church." 

I  thanked  the  judge  for  his  good  advice,  but 
that  winter  in  the  legislature  I  advocated  woman 
suffrage,  the  abolishment  of  the  death  penalty,  and 
the  prohibition  of  the  liquor  traffic,  and  did  and 
said  a  lot  of  other  things  which  no  wise  or  discreet 
politician  who  was  looking  for  future  political 
promotion  would  ever  do. 

Then  the  judge  told  me  that  I  would  never  be 
elected  to  another  office  by  any  political  party. 
As  that  has  been  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  and  as 
I  have  never  had  an  office  since,  I  guess  the  judge 
was  right.  Still,  I  am  more  than  satisfied  with 
my  choice ;  and  if  I  had  my  life  to  live  over  again, 
I  would  choose  the  same  path. 

When  I  was  in  the  legislature,  William  A. 
Marshall  was  the  governor  of  the  State.  Governor 
Marshall  was  a  very  courteous,  affable  gentleman. 
He  had  been  a  brave  soldier,  and  was  in  every 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  157 

way  a  worthy  man.  Hon.  William  Yale,  of 
Winona,  was  lieutenant  governor,  J.  Q.  Farmer 
was  speaker  of  the  House.  All  of  these  gentle- 
men are  now  living,  with  the  exception  of  Gov- 
ernor Marshall. 

The  leading  men  of  the  State  Senate  at  that 
time  were  Hon.  William  P.  Murray  of  St.  Paul, 
Senator  Daniels  of  Rochester,  and  Senator  Lord 
of  Mower  County.  In  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, the  leading  members  were  Hon.  Mark 
Durmell,  Hon.  Dana  King,  Hon.  Cushman  K.  Davis. 

I  found  myself  to  be  the  youngest  man  of  the 
legislature.  There  were  two  others  born  the 
same  year,  but  later  in  the  year.  They  were 
Cushman  K.  Davis  of  St.  Paul,  and  A.  A.  Ames 
of  Minneapolis. 

Cushman  K.  Davis,  though  serving  his  first  term, 
and  one  of  its  very  youngest  members,  at  once 
came  to  the  front  as  one  of  the  ablest  debaters, 
and  gave  promise  of  the  great  name  that  he  has 
since  achieved.  While  governor  of  the  State  of 
Minnesota,  Mr.  Davis  gave  evidence  of  some  poli- 
tical independence,  and  that  injured  him  for  a 
while;  but  he  has  recovered  from  it,  and  is  now  the 
idol  of  his  party  in  the  State. 

A.  A.  Ames,  one  of  my  colleagues,  a  bright, 
rising  young  doctor,  has  since  been  four  times 
mayor  of  the  splendid  city  of  Minneapolis,  and  has 


158  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

several  times  been  a  candidate  of  his  party  for 
the  governorship.  He  was  and  is  a  Democrat. 

As  soon  as  the  legislature  had  got  well  under 
way,  I  gave  notice  of  the  introduction  of  a  bill  pro- 
hibiting the  liquor  traffic,  and  another  bill  for  the 
abolishment  of  the  death  penalty.  The  last  named 
bill  I  could  never  get  from  the  committee  it  was 
referred  to. 

One  day  I  received  a  petition  from  a  Mrs. 
Coleman.  It  was  signed  by  about  one  hundred 
names,  asking  for  woman  suffrage.  Mrs.  Coleman 
was  an  educated  woman,  and  of  considerable 
ability;  a  forceful  speaker.  On  receiving  the 
petition,  I  consulted  with  one  of  my  colleagues  as 
to  what  I  should  do  with  it.  "Oh!"  he  said, 
"pay  no  attention  to  the  thing;  for  if  anyone 
introduces  it,  it  will  make  him  the  laughing-stock 
of  the  House." 

I  thought  over  the  matter  a  day  or  two,  and 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  I  ought  to  present  it. 
So  one  morning  at  the  proper  time  I  sent  up  the 
petition.  It  caused  great  laughter  and  applause, 
and  a  motion  was  made,  and  carried  unanimously, 
that  it  be  referred  to  a  committee  of  one,  and  that 
one  the  member  from  Hennepin  who  had  pre- 
sented it.  So,  amid  shouting  and  laughter  the 
motion  was  carried,  and  it  was  handed  back  to  me. 
I  put  it  back  in  my  drawer,  never  intending  to 
look  at  it  again. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  159 

Of  course  all  of  this  was  reported  in  the  papers, 
and  in  a  few  days  I  received  a  letter  from  a  lady 
who  was  quite  renowned  in  the  educational  world, 
and  whose  husband  has  since  been  a  judge  and  a 
United  States  Senator,  saying  that  she  had  seen 
the  action  of  the  legislature  in  the  case,  and 
knowing  that  I  was  a  young  man,  she  would  send 
me  some  books  and  other  printed  matter,  and  it 
might  help  me  in  getting  up  my  report.  I  had 
thought  that  the  whole  thing  was  a  joke,  and 
intended  to  pay  no  attention  to  it ;  but  in  a  day  or 
two  the  documents  came,  and  to  my  astonishment 
I  found  speeches  and  papers  favoring  woman 
suffrage  from  such  statesmen  as  Lyman  Trumbull 
of  Illinois,  Senators  Wade  and  Corwin  of  Ohio, 
Senators  Sumner  and  Wilson  of  Massachusetts; 
and  from  such  literary  men  as  Wendell  Phillips 
and  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson  of  Massachusetts. 
I  read  the  documents,  and  became  a  convert  to 
the  principle,  and  have  remained  so  to  this  day. 

I  found  another  member  of  the  House  who  was 
a  believer  in  woman  suffrage,  Hon. Charles  Wheaton 
of  Northfield,  Rice  County. 

I  presented  my  report  to  the  House,  and  it  was 
laid  over.  Mrs.  Coleman  wrote  to  me  that  she 
would  like  to  come  to  St.  Paul  and  speak  in  its 
behalf.  I  asked  for  the  use  of  the  hall  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  and  it  was  readily 
granted.  The  meeting  was  largely  attended  ;  the 


160  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

lady  made  an  able  speech,  and  it  evidently  made 
a  good  impression. 

At  the  same  session  of  the  legislature  the 
Republicans  were  trying  to  get  through  a  resolu- 
tion amending  the  constitution,  by  striking  out  the 
word  white  as  one  of  the  qualifications  of  a  voter. 
Mr.  Maynard,  the  leader  of  the  Democratic  party, 
came  over  to  me  and  told  me  if  I  would  vote  to  tack 
both  propositions  together,  that  all  the  Democratic 
members  would  support  me.  Their  object  was  to 
so  load  down  the  measure  that  it  would  be  over- 
whelmingly defeated. 

My  idea  was  that  one  proposition  was  as  good 
as  the  other  ;  that  a  woman  ought  to  have  a  chance 
to  vote  and  the  black  man  ought  to  have  a  chance 
to  vote ;  that  no  one  should  be  deprived  of  the 
ballot  on  account  of  color  or  sex.  All  this  time 
I  had  been  laughed  at  so  much  that  I  was  quite 
sensitive.  I  thought  I  was  standing  practically 
all  alone  in  my  support  of  the  bill.  But  when 
it  came  up  for  action,  some  of  the  most  fashion- 
able and  elegant  ladies  of  St.  Paul  and  Minne- 
apolis came  into  the  house,  filling  the  lobby  and 
the  galleries.  I  shall  never  forget  my  feelings  that 
day.  Under  the  influence  of  the  smiles  of  those 
fair  ladies,  how  brave  I  was!  And  we  fought 
a  royal  battle  ;  and  though  defeated,  it  endorsed  a 
movement  that  will  not  end  until  the  women  of  our 
land  stand  equal  with  the  men  before  the  law. 


Mrs.  M.  P.  Lemen 

(At  age  of  seventy-nine.) 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sotyieski.  161 


•  The  next  battle  in  that  legislature  was  on  the 
prohibition  question.  My  bill  was  referred  to  a 
special  committee,  of  which  I  was  chairman;  and, 
to  my  surprise,  I  found,  after  making  my  speech 
before  the  committee,  that  every  member  was  in 
favor  of  it.  It  was  so  reported  back  to  the  House, 
and  was  referred  to  a  committee  of  the  whole,  and 
there  a  battle  royal  was  fought.  It  went  through 
the  committee  of  the  whole  by  a  large  majority, 
but  under  the  lash  of  the  party  whip — the  measure 
being  stigmatized  by  the  principal  Republican 
paper  in  the  State  as  a  bill  in  the  interest  of  the 
Democratic  party,  the  paper  saying  if  the  bill  passed 
it  would  drive  the  German  and  the  Scandinavian 
vote  into  the  Democratic  party,  and  would  hope- 
lessly defeat  the  Republicans  in  the  State — and 
under  the  tremendous  pressure  that  was  brought 
against  the  bill  for  political  reasons,  it  was 
defeated. 

I  said  that  night  after  its  defeat,  that,  God 
helping  me,  I  would  never  vote  again  with  any 
political  party  that  was  dictated  to  by  the  distiller, 
the  brewer,  and  the  saloon-keeper;  and  I  never 
have. 

During  that  session  of  the  legislature,  a  mat- 
ter came  up  that  I  have  often  thought  of  with  a 
good  deal  of  pride.  Minnesota  being  largely  a 
lumbering  State,  the  State  was  divided  into  six 
lumbering  districts.  An  eastern  district  had  what 


1 62  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

they  called  a  surveyor  of  logs.  I  do  not  remem- 
ber now  what  his  duties  were,  but  it  was  a  very 
lucrative  office.  When  the  war  broke  out  a 
Mr.  Camp  held  the  position.  It  was  a  position 
worth  four  thousand  dollars  a  year.  But  when  the 
call  was  made  for  men  to  put  down  the  rebellion, 
he  threw  up  his  position  and  joined  the  army  as  a 
private  soldier.  He  came  out  of  the  army  a 
major. 

One  morning-  in  the  lobby  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  Dr.  Ames  introduced  me  to 
Major  Camp.  Major  Camp  said  to  me  that  he 
wished  my  support  for  the  office  of  surveyor  of 
logs.  He  said  he  resigned  the  position  to  go 
into  the  army,  and  that  Mr.  Lane,  his  successor, 
had  held  the  office  now  for  seven  years,  and  he 
thought,  under  the  circumstances,  that  he  was 
entitled  to  it  again.  I  told  him  that  I  would 
support  him  in  the  caucus. 

That  night  just  as  we  were  going  into  caucus, 
a  senator  who  did  not  live  in  my  district,  nor  in 
Major  Camp's  district,  came  to  me  and  said:  "I 
suppose  you  know  who  the  man  is  who  is  to  be 
nominated  for  surveyor  in  your  district. " 

I  said,  "Why,  yes,  Major  Camp." 

"Oh,  no!"  said  he,  "Mr.  Lane,  for  I  have  a 
petition  signed  by  every  lumberman  in  that  district, 
asking  for  his  reelection." 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  163 

"Well,"  I  said,  "  nevertheless,  I  shall  support 
Major  Camp.  " 

He  said  it  would  be  useless,  as  everybody  else 
would  support  Mr.  Lane.  He  said  even  the  man 
who  would  present  Mr.  Camp's  name  to  the  cau- 
cus, would  vote  for  Mr.  Lane,  and  would  say  so  in 
the  caucus.  I  told  him  all  right,  he  was  privileged 
to  do  so;  that  while  I  was  well  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Lane  and  knew  that  he  was  all  that  his  friends 
claimed  for  him,  nevertheless,  I  should  always 
vote  for  the  soldier  when  everything  else  was 
equal.  With  that  we  parted. 

When  the  caucus  got  down  to  our  district,  the 
senator  rose  and  nominated  Mr.  Lane  with  a  neat 
little  speech,  and  then  started  to  read  the  petition, 
when  the  chairman  of  the  caucus  told  him  that  he 
did  not  presume  it  was  necessary  to  read  the  peti- 
tion, as  he  presumed  there  would  be  no  opposi- 
tion to  Mr.  Lane.  The  senator  looked  over  to 
where  my  colleague  and  I  sat. 

My  colleague  said  nothing.  So  I  rose  and 
said:  "Yes,  there  will  be  another  nomination.  " 

So  he  proceeded  to  read  the  petition. 

When  he  sat  down,  my  colleague  rose  and 
said  he  had  been  requested  to  put  in  the  nomina- 
tion of  Major  Camp.  He  said  this  request  had 
been  made  by  Mr.  Camp  himself,  but  said  he 
should  vote  for  Mr.  Lane,  as  his  election  was 
desired  by  the  lumber-dealers  of  the  district. 


1 64  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

I  was  determined  that  the  matter  should  not 
rest  there,  and  that  Major  Camp's  name  should  not 
go  before  the  caucus  in  that  way.  So  I  rose  and 
said:  "  Mr.  Chairman,  on  behalf  of  Mr.  Camp,  I 
wish  to  say  that  everything  that  has  been  said  in 
behalf  of  Mr.  Lane  we  agree  with.  He  is  honest, 
capable,  and  popular,  and  his  reelection  doubtless 
would  give  entire  satisfaction.  But  when  the 
Civil  War  broke  out,  it  found  Major  Camp  holding 
this  office  that  he  had  been  elected  to  a  few 
months  before :  and  when  the  nation  called  its 
sons  to  arms  in  its  defense,  he  threw  up  this  fat 
office,  and  entered  the  arrny  as  a  private  soldier,  at 
eleven  dollars  a  month;  and  for  gallantry  in  the 
field  he  was  promoted  at  the  close  of  the  war  to  be 
major  of  his  regiment.  During  those  four  years 
he  marched  in  the  rain,  slept  in  the  mud,  faced 
Confederate  bullets,  while  all  this  time  Mr.  Lane — 
without  any  disrespect  to  him — was  staying  at 
home,  eating  three  square  meals  a  day  and  at  night 
sleeping  on  a  bed  of  down,  and  drawing  a  salary 
of  four  thousand  dollars  a  year.  And  now  this 
gallant  soldier,  Major  Camp,  comes  to  us  and  asks 
us  to  reelect  him  to  the  position  that  he  left  to 
defend  his  nation's  flag.  That  he  is  just  as 
capable  as  Mr.  Lane,  no  one  will  deny.  And 
now,  what  are  we  going  to  do  about  it?  Gentle- 
men, I  remember,  and  some  of  you  remember, 
when  we  marched  down  Pennsylvania  Avenue  at 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  165 

the  time  of  the  great  review,  we  saw  a  banner 
stretched  across  the  avenue  with  this  inscription: 
'The  nation  owes  one  debt  it  can  never  pay,  and 
that  is  the  debt  it  owes  its  soldiers.'  Gentlemen, 
it  is  the  boast  of  the  Republican  party  that  it  is 
the  friend  of  the  soldier ;  that  boast  will  be  tested 
to-night,  and  what  shall  be  the  answer?  Your 
votes  will  tell." 

A  vote  was  immediately  taken,  and  Major 
Camp  was  nominated  by  a  vote  of  thirty-five  to 
eighteen.  Immediately  after  the  ballot  had  been 
taken  we  adjourned. 

The  senator  whom  I  have  already  mentioned 
came  to  me  and  said:  "Your  man  went  through 
a  kiting,  didn't  he?" 

I  said,  "  He  went  through  all  right.  " 

But  the  next  morning  while  I  was  sitting  in  my 
seat,  a  leading  lumberman  came  to  me  in  great 
excitement  and  said:  "Do  you  know  what  you 
have  done?  Do  you  know  what  you  have  done?" 

I  replied,  "  Nothing  very  alarming,  I  hope.  " 

He  said,  "You  have,  by  defeating  Mr.  Lane, 
offended  the  entire  lumber  interest  of  your  district." 

"  Do  you  know  Major  Camp?  "      I  asked. 
•    "Yes,"    he    replied,    "I    have    always    known 
him." 

I  said,  "Well,  is  he  honest?" 

"Yes." 

"Is  he  capable?" 


1 66  L,ife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

Yes,"  he  replied,  "but  we  like  Mr.  Lane 
better  personally." 

"Well,"  I  said,  "I  like  Major  Camp  better 
personally,  and  I  take  the  responsibility  of  the 
whole  matter." 

He  said,  "He  shall  not  be  elected." 

An  attempt  was  made  by  Lane's  friends  to 
make  a  bargain  with  the  Democrats,  and  they 
succeeded  so  far  as  to  postpone  the  election  for  a 
week;  but  during  the  week  they  heard  from  their 
constittients,  and  Major  Camp  was  triumphantly 
elected. 

A  few  days  afterward  the  legislature  adjourned, 
and  I  am  sure  that  my  term  in  the  body  dem- 
onstrated the  fact  that  I  was  utterly  wanting  in  the 
qualities  that  go  to  make  up  a  successful  politician. 

After  the  adjournment  of  the  legislature  I. 
spent  a  few  weeks  in  determining  what  should 
be  my  future  course  in  life.  I  came  to  this  con- 
clusion: That  I  would  devote  it  to  the  world's 
betterment.  Though  but  a  young  man,  being  at 
the  time  twenty-five  years  of  age,  I  had  seen 
enough  of  the  world,  and  knew  enough  of  the 
world's  history  to  convince  me  of  how  unsatis- 
fying are  the  ordinary  things  which  men  strive 
for:  Wealth  and  fame  and  the  world's  applause 
and  smiles.  Therefore,  I  determined  that  my 
life  should  be  consecrated  to  reforms  and  redress- 
ing abuses  wherever  found.  That  in  doing  so 
I  should  not  consult  my  personal  interests,  but 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  167 

rather  I  should  be  guided  exclusively  by  the 
teachings  of  the  great  Master,  believing  as  I 
did  in  those  teachings,  "That  whosoever  would 
lose  his  life,  would  find  it,  and  whosoever  would 
find  his  life,  would  lose  it." 

Three  great  reforms  presented  themselves  to 
my  views  at  once :  The  abolishment  of  the  liquor 
traffic,  the  abolishment  of  the  death  penalty, 
and  the  enfranchisement  of  women.  To  these 
great  reforms  my  life  has  been  devoted,  and  in 
advocating  them,  I  have  lectured  in  nearly  all 
the  states  and  territories  •  of  the  Union,  and  in 
British  America,  and  nearly  all  the  English  speak- 
ing countries  of  the  world. 

Writing  this  at  the  age  of  sixty-four,  after 
nearly  forty  years  of  constant  labor,  I  am  fully 
satisfied  with  the  choice  I  then  made.  While 
I  possess  little  of  what  the  world  calls  goods,  yet 
the  rich  experience  of  my  forty  years,  the  work 
which  I  have  been  enabled  to  do,  and  the  work 
that  I  have  seen  accomplished,  the  noble  men  and 
women  with  whom  I  have  been  associated,  have 
been  an  ample  reward  to  me.  Had  I  to  live  my 
life  over  again  I  should  choose  the  same  path. 
And  the  remaining  years  of  my  life,  be  they  many 
or  few,  will  be  devoted  to  these  reforms. 

While  I  have  been  vitally  interested  in  other 
reforms,  and  shall  ever  be,  yet  these  reforms  men- 
tioned are  the  ones  I  feel  especially  called  upon 
to  promote. 


168  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

I   meet  Miss  Willard— Estimate  of  her  power  as   a   leader — My   marriage  to   Lydia 
Gertrude  Lemen — My  wife's  family — Our  children,  Mary  and  John. 

Ill  June,  1875  I  attended  the  National  Temper- 
ance Convention  that  was  held  in  Farwell  Hall, 
Chicago. 

It  was  here  that  I  met  for  the  first  time  Miss 
Frances  Willard.  She  was  the  chairman  of  the 
enrolling  committee.  I  saw  that  she  had  my 
name  wrong,  so  I  went  to  her  to  have  the  correc- 
tion made.  I  had  heard  of  her  before  as  an 
educator.  It  was  under  these  circumstances  that 
an  acquaintance  began  which  lasted  through  her 
lifetime.  She  was  at  that  time  about  thirty-five 
years  of  age,  and  was  just  beginning  a  career 
which  made  her  immortal.  Her  personality  was 
very  charming.  It  is  said  of  Queen  Elizabeth 
that  at  court  she  was  full  of  her  foibles  and  flirta- 
tions and  vanities,  but  that  when  she  entered  the 
council  room  she  laid  them  all  aside,  and  was 
every  bit  a  sovereign  and  a  stateswoman.  Miss 
Willard's  heart  was  always  a  "girl's  heart,  full  of 
love,  affection,  and  sentiment;  but  her  head  was 
always  the  head  of  a  stateswoman.  She  had 
singular  powers  on  the  platform ;  she  never  seemed 
to  me  to  be  a  great  orator,  and  I  have  seen  many 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  169 

that  seemed  her  superior,  but  with  Webster's 
definition  of  what  constitutes  an  orator,  she  was 
unexcelled.  She  could  move  and  convince  an 
audience  as  I  have  never  known  any  one  else  to  do. 

At  the  National  Prohibition  Convention  at 
Indianapolis,  I  saw  an  example  of  her  wonderful 
power.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  division  of  sen- 
timent in  our  party  as  to  the  advisability  of  putting 
woman  suffrage  into  the  platform.  The  conven- 
tion was  composed  of  about  fourteen  hundred  dele- 
gates, and  they  were  nearly  equally  divided  on 
that  question  when  we  met.  Those  of  us  who 
were  in  favor  of  putting  it  in  our  platform  only 
claimed  forty  or  fifty  majority.  She  addressed  the 
convention  the  first  night  on  that  subject,  and  took 
it  by  storm.  So,  when  the  final  vote  was  taken  on 
the  question  in  the  convention,  there  was  hardly 
enough  left  of  the  opposition  to  be  counted. 

I  was  very  much  attached  to  Miss  Willard,  and 
when  her  death  was  announced,  I,  with  thousands 
of  others  who  had  known  her  and  loved  her,  wept 
at  the  bereavement.  I  was  one  of  the  pall-bearers 
at  her  funeral.  It  was  a  bitter  cold  day  in  the 
middle  of  February.  Her  body  lay  in  state  at 
Willard  Hall.  Thousands  stood  on  the  streets  all 
day — men  and  women,  old  and  young,  rich  and 
poor — to  get  a  chance  to  look  upon  the  face  of  one 
who  loved  everyone,  and  had  worked  for  everyone 
with  all  the  energy  of  a  great  soul. 


1 70  I^ife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

In  this  National  Temperance  Convention,  where 
I  first  met  Miss  Willard,  she  introduced  a  resolu- 
tion declaring  that  where  the  question  was  one  of 
temperance  alone,  that  women  should  have  the 
ballot.  The  resolution  was  adopted,  but  it  caused 
a  hot  discussion,  m  any  women  opposing  it,  declar- 
ing they  could  do  all  they  wanted  to  do  by  prayer 
alone. 

During  the  discussion  the  celebrated  Anna 
Dickinson  was  seen  in  the  convention,  and  was 
called  upon  to  speak.  She  began  by  saying  that 
she  was  not  a  member  of  the  convention,  and  was 
not  in  sympathy  at  all  with  the  object  of  the  con- 
vention; yet  in  this  question  of  suffrage  she  had  a 
good  deal  of  interest.  She  said  that  one  lady  had 
said  that  she  didn't  care  for  the  ballot,  that  she 
could  do  more  with  prayer.  She  said:  ''Let  us 
illustrate  that  point.  Supposing  there  was  a  cer- 
tain town  where  the  liquor  question  was  an  issue, 
and  the  temperance  people  should  meet  in  con- 
vention and  nominate  a  ticket ;  and  the  liquor  men 
should  also  nominate  a  ticket;  but  when  election 
day  came,  the  liquor  men  would  go  to  the  polls  and 
vote  for  their  ticket,  and  the  temperance  men, 
instead  of  going  to  the  polls,  would  go  to  the 
church  and  pray  for  their  ticket,  instead  of  voting : 
which  ticket,  in  the  judgment  of  this  convention, 
would  be  elected?"  The  convention  saw  the 
point,  cheered  lustily,  and  adopted  the  resolution. 

In  the  spring  of  1876,  as  chairman  of  the  Pro- 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  171 

hibition  State  Committee  of  Illinois,  I  called  the 
convention  to  meet  in  Chicago,  to  nominate  a 
State  and  electoral  ticket.  The  Prohibitionists 
already  had  a  ticket  in  the  field  for  President. 
Green  Clay  Smith  of  Kentucky  had  been  nomi- 
nated for  President,  and  Professor  Thompson  of 
Ohio  for  Vice-President.  The  convention  was  to 
be  a  mass  convention:  just  ten  persons  came.  I 
took  them  to  a  Good  Templar  hall,  at  310  West 
Madison  Street,  and  locked  the  door  to  keep  the 
reporters  out,  so  they  would  not  make  .fun  of  us 
through  the  papers.  We  proceeded  to  nominate 
a  full  ticket,  with  Dr.  James  F.  Simpson  of  Greene 
County  for  governor.  Every  man  in  the  conven- 
tion was  nominated  for  something.  It  was  a  very 
harmonious  convention.  There  was  no  caucusing 
nor  trades  nor  combines;  it  was  an  ideal  con- 
vention. 

That  night  at  my  boarding-house  (I  was  then 
living  in  Chicago ) ,  a  reporter  of  the  Tribune  found 
me  and  said  he  had  been  hunting  for  our  conven- 
tion all  day.  I  laughingly  told  him  I  didn't  doubt 
it;  that  had  it  been  a  Democratic  or  Republican 
convention,  he  would  have  known  just  where  to 
look  for  it — adjacent  to  some  liquor  saloon  or  beer- 
garden.  He  wanted  to  know  where  we  met.  I 
told  him  at  Garden  City  Hall. 

He  said,  "Why,  that  is  not  a  large  hall." 
I  told  him  it  was  not  a  large  convention.       He 
wanted  to  know  what  we  did.      I  gave  him  a  list  of 


172  lyife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

our  candidates  nominated,  the  new  State  central 
committee  appointed,  and  resolutions  adopted. 
Then  he  asked  a  question  that  I  didn't  want  him 
to  ask,  and  that  was,  how  many  delegates  there 
were  in  the  convention. 

I  said,  "What  number?" 

He  said,  "Yes." 

I  said,  "Three  hundred  and  ten;"  that  was  the 
number  of  the  street  where  the  convention  was 
held. 

So  the  next  morning  the  Tribune  had  it  in 
great  head-lines:  "The  Prohibitionists  hold  a  State 
Convention  and  nominate  a  full  ticket.  Three  hun- 
dred and  ten  delegates  attended."  But  what 
amazed  me  was  who  had  misinformed  the  reporter 
as  to  the  number  of  delegates.  But  as  the  state- 
ment was  of  such  slight  importance,  I  did  not 
think  it  worth  while  to  correct  it ;  so  I  let  it  go. 

On  June  3rd,  1879,  I  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Lydia  Gertrude  Lemen.  Miss  Lemen  was 
born  in  Salem,  Marion  County,  Illinois,  January  3d, 
1851.  She  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Salem,  studied  a  few  years  in  the  Young  Ladies' 
Seminary  of  that  town,  and  graduated  at  Almira 
College,  Greenville,  Illinois,  in  the  class  of  1876. 

Her  father  I  never  met,  as  he  had  died  a  year 
or  two  before  I  became  acquainted  with  the  family. 
He  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Joseph  Lemen  and  the 
grandson  of  Rev.  James  Lemen,  the  man  through 


lytfe  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  173 

whose  labor  the  territory  of  Illinois  came  into  the 
Union  as  a  free  State,  whose  six  sons  were  Baptist 
ministers  and  whose  influence  was  felt  through- 
out the  entire  West.  For  over  one  hundred  years 
the  Lemen  family  labored  in  the  cause  of  Christ. 
He  was  an  ardent  Abolitionist  and  labored  ear- 
nestly for  the  overthrow  of  slavery.  He  was  an 
accomplished  writer  of  both  prose  and  poetry. 

Mrs.  Lemen  was  one  of  the  greatest  and  best 
women  I  ever  knew.  She  was  born  in  New  York 
in  1811.  The  family  moved  to  New  Hampshire 
in  1813.  She  was  educated  in  New  Hampton 
Academy,  graduating  in  1831.  In  1832  she  was 
sent  West  as  a  teacher  to  work  in  behalf 
of  the  educational  interests  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
She  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Shurtleff  College,  at 
Alton,  Illinois,  and  one  of  its  first  instructors,  being 
the  first  of  her  sex  that  ever  held  that  position  in 
this  county,  and,  perhaps,  in  the  world.  She  was 
for  years  the  preceptress  of  the  Young  Ladies'  Sem- 
inary, at  Salem,  Illinois,  and  was  compelled  to 
retire  from  that  institution  on  account  of  her  pro- 
nounced anti-slavery  views.  She  was  an  original 
abolitionist  of  the  Wendell  Phillips  school,  and  of 
course  a  prohibitionist.  She  worked  for  every 
good  caase;  she  hated  every  evil.  The  weak  and 
the  oppressed  always  found  in  her  a  friend ;  whether 
they  were  white  or  black,  red  or  yellow,  learned  or 
ignorant,  good  or  bad,  it  was  all  the  same  to  her. 


174  Ivife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

She  could  only  see  the  man  and  the  woman,  and 
she  was  ready  to  help  them.  The  last  years  of 
her  life  were  spent  very  largely  in  the  temperance 
work.  In  the  summer  before  she  died,  though  she 
was  eighty-three  at  the  time,  she  was  president  of 
the  county  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union, 
teacher  in  the  Sunday-school,  secretary  of  the  For- 
eign Missionary  Society,  a  correspondent  of  many 
religious  and  temperance  papers,  teacher  of  a  pri- 
vate school,  and  spent  a  part  of  her  time  lecturing 
on  temperance.  She  so  impressed  her  personality 
on  her  children  that  they  all  believed  what  she 
believed,  and  are  working  for  that  to  which  she 
devoted  her  life.  She  died  Jamiary  12th,  1892, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years  and  eight  months. 

Her  family  consisted  of  three  children.  The 
oldest  daughter,  Mrs.  Helen  Denny,  is  a  leading 
woman  of  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance 
Union,  and  a  lecturer  of  great  acceptability.  She 
has  lectured  in  every  part  of  the  Union.  Her  hus- 
band, Colonel  W.  N.  Denny,  is  a  leading  man  in 
Indiana,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War. 

The  son,  Rev.  J.  G.  Lemen,  after  graduating 
at  Harvard  University,  began  the  practice  of  law; 
then  became  a  minister,  and  then  a  journalist. 
He  is  now  at  the  head  of  the  Christian  Home, 
Council  Bluffs,  Iowa.  That  institution  is  con- 
ducted upon  the  George  Miiller  plan  of  England, 
depending  entirely  upon  the  gifts  that  God  in 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  175 

some  mysterious  way  bestows  upon  it.  Gifts  come 
in  all  the  way  from  one  penny  to  five  thousand 
dollars.  He  began  his  work  with  a  house  of  one 
story  and  a  half;  he  has  now  thirty  cottages,  a 
chapel,  and  other  buildings,  with  more  than  three 
hundred  inmates,  coming  from  almost  all  of  the 
States  of  the  Union.  Mr.  Lemen  is  a  man  of  great 
ability — minister,  doctor,  lawyer,  orator,  philan- 
thropist, and  reformer. 

The  death  of  J.  G.  Lemen  occured  October 
26,  1904. 

Dr.  B.  J.  Kendall  of  Chicago,  has  written  an 
appreciative  article  concerning  Rev.  J.  G.  Lemen 
and  his  work,  headed  "America's  George  Muller." 
The  article  is  as  follows: 

In  all  ages  when  God  had  a  great  work  to  do  He  has  raised  up 
a  great  man  for  its  leader. 

When  He  would  found  the  greatest  nation  on  earth  He  raised  a 
Washington  to  be  a  leader  in  freeing  its  people  from  the  fetters 
that  would  check  their  progress  in  the  forward  march  of  time. 

When  He  would  free  a  down-trodden  race  of  slaves  He  raised 
a  Lincoln  to  reiterate  to  the  world  that  all  men  were  born  free  and 
equal. 

When  He  would  establish  in  England  an  institution  where 
those  who  were  unfortunate  and  left  homeless  and  friendless  could 
find  not  only  a  shelter  from  the  storm  but  a  friend  whose  great 
heart  was  throbbing  in  sympathy  with  their  own,  He  called  a 
Muller  whose  name  is  as  familiar  in  that  land  as  the  name  of  that 
great  Washington  is  in  our  own  land.  This  man  was  as  truly 
called  of  God  to  establish  the  great  Orphanage  in  England  where 
an  incalculable  amount  of  good  has  been  done  as  was  our  beloved 
Washington  in  establishing  a  nation  to  be  the  light  of  the  world- 

When  he  would  establish  in  America  an  Orphanage  destined 
to  be  the  largest  and  grandest  institution  of  the  kind  cnthe  globe 


176  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

He  called  that  noble  man,  Rev.  J.  G.  Lemen,  who  was  faithful  to 
the  trust  imposed  in  him  and  the  result  was  the  establishing  of 
the  Christian  Home  Orphanage  at  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa. 

Twenty-five  years  ago,  three  little  children  were  suddenly 
bereft  of  father  and  mother.  They  were  friendless  and  homeless ; 
but  it  was  only  one  of  the  many  similar  instances  happening  every 
day — only  three  little  children  left  friendless  and  homeless,  that 
was  all.  But  it  was  a  crucial  moment  in  at  least  one  life.  Rev. 
J.  G.  Lemen,  whose  heart  was  large  enough  to  find  a  place  for  every 
unfortunate  oner  took  these  children  into  his  own  home,  where 
they  shared  the  same  loving,  tender  care  that  was  bestowed  upon 
his  own  little  ones.  Moved  with  compassion,  he  took  others  also 
into  his  already  overcrowded  home,  until  finally  the  test  came, 
and  he  must  give  up  the  pastorate  of  a  large  church  in  Council 
Bluffs,  with  all  his  hopes  and  aspirations,  and  devote  his  entire 
time  to  caring  for  these  homeless  ones  he  had  taken  in  out  of  the 
cold  and  storm,  or  he  must  turn  them  back  into  the  streets  of  a 
merciless  city.  He  felt  that  God  had  led  him  thus  far  and  he 
dare  not  refuse  to  follow  the  leadings  of  His  Spirit.  As  he  stepped 
out  upon  His  promises  and  obeyed  the  command  to  go  forward , 
the  way  opened  before  him,  and  when  he  had  exhausted  his  own 
competency,  never  doubting  but  that  a  way  would  be  opened  to 
supply  their  needs,  He  who  owns  the  cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills 
moved  upon  the  hearts  of  His  faithful  ones  to  send  of  their  sub- 
stance, that  these  little  homeless  ones  might  be  cared  for.  Con- 
tributions of  food,  clothing  and  money  began  to  pour  in  from 
those  who  had  miraculously  learned  of  the  great  work  God  was 
establishing  through  the  efforts  of  this  faithful  servant. 

His  sainted  wife  was  as  faithful  as  he  and  the  noble  work 
grew  rapidly  under  their  united  and  unceasing  efforts  to  care  for 
the  many  helpless  ones  that  had  poured  into  this  home  from  all 
quarters.  Hundreds  of  homeless  and  friendless  children  have  not 
only  found  here  a  shelter  from  the  storm,  but  loving,  tender  hearts 
have  been  ready  to  help  them  and  lift  them  from  their  helpless 
condition  into  a  plane  where  all  the  affection  of  a  father  and  mother 
was  theirs  to  enjoy. 

Instead  of  being  left  to  the  cold  mercies  of  as  selfish  world 
where  they  would  have  been  compelled  to  occupy  our  poorhouses, 
jails  and  prisons,  growing  up  in  ignorance  and  steeped  in  vice 
they  were  in  this,  the  grandest  of  all  institutions,  carefully  and 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  177 

lovingly  educated  and  trained  for  the  Master,  that  they  might 
go  out  into  the  world,  educated  Christian  men  and  women,  to  be 
a  blessing  instead  of  a  curse. 

In  addition  to  this,  in  the  last4  twenty-five  years  more  than 
two  thousand  children  have  been  carefully  and  cautiously  placed 
in  good  Christian  homes.  No  other  institution  we  know  of  is  so 
•  •areful  that  every  child  that  leaves  the  Home  shall  be  adopted 
into  a  Christian  family  whose  character  must  be  thoroughly 
vouched  for  in  every  particular  by  their  pastor  and  official  church 
members  and  bankers  or  business  men.  The  greatest  precautions 
are  taken  that  no  child  shall  go  to  be  a  slave  for  any  one.  Love 
must  be  the  great  factor  in  securing  a  child  here  that  it  may  have 
the  affectionate,  tender  care  which  only  comes  from  a  parent  or 
the  true  follower  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus.  Families  of  young 
children  are  never  separated  here.  For  this  and  many  other  rea- 
sons, I  am  fully  satisfied  that  there  is  no  institution  anywhere  more 
worthy  of  the  hearty  support  of  every  person  who  has  a  heart  that 
beats  with  sympathy  for  the  unfortunate. 

Our  lamented  Brother  Lemen  was  a  lawyer  before  he  was  a 
preacher,  and  he  knew  the  importance  of  having  all  the  business 
of  the  Home  done  to  conform  to  the  law's  of  the  land  as  well  as  the 
laws  of  God.  Because  of  this  fact  all  of  the  real  estate  is  deeded  to 
the  organization  in  a  way  that  it  can  never  be  mortgaged  nor  can  it 
ever  be  used  for  any  other  purpose  than  an  orphanage.  There- 
fore, this  large  plant  will  not  only  be  a  permanent  institution  but 
I  perdict  for  it  that  within  the  next  twenty-five  years  it  will  be  the 
largest  and  best  Orphanage  in  the  world.  It  certainly  will  if 
each  one  who  reads  this  article  does  just  what  the  Spirit  impresses 
him  to  do. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lemen  were  blessed  with  four  lovely  children, 
three  sons  and  one  daughter.  All  of  them  take  great  delight  in 
the  work  of  the  Home.  The  oldest  son  had  given  his  entire  time 
to  this  noble  work  for  several  years  before  the  death  of  his  father 
and  mother,  and  naturally  the  mantle  of  his  parents  fell  on  him,  and 
having  had  almost  the  entire  management  of  the  Home  for  several 
years  before  their  death  no  perceptible  change  has  taken  place  in 
its  policy;  but  the  greatest  advancement  in  the  history  of  the  Or- 
phanage has  come  since  the  death  of  the  founder. 

I  have  been  in  this  Home  often  and  knowing  all  the  family 
and  having  examined  the  genealogy  of  the  Lemen  family  extend- 


178  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

ing  back  250  years,  I  find  there  are  many  clergymen  in  our  brother's 
ancestry  and  many  other  professional  and  business  men,  as  well 
as  farmers,  all  of  whom  are  prominent  and  earnest  supporters  of 
every  good  work  and  all  grea1*reforms.  Many  of  them  were  noted, 
for  their  activity  as  abolitionists,  temperance  workers,  as  well  as 
workers  for  every  good  cause.  After  a  long  and  intimate  acquain- 
tance with  this  family  and  the  noble  work  they  established  and 
are  still  tenderly  and  faithfully  caring  for,  I  feel  sure  that  our 
Heavenly  Father  could  not  have  put  the  work  in  better  hands. 

The  fruit  of  our  marriage  has  been  two  chil- 
dren. Mary,  the  older,  is  nineteen.  She  has 
been  for  two  years  a  student  at  Forest  Park  Uni- 
versity, St.  Louis;  one  year  at  the  Stevens  Col- 
lege, at  Columbia,  Missouri.  She  is  a  beautiful 
girl,  all  that  her  father's  heart  could  desire. 

My  boy,  John,  was  born  October  3rd,  1882; 
died  April  5th,  1895.  He  was  a  beautiful  boy, 
my  pride  and  joy.  His  head  was  all  covered  with 
ten  thousand  clustering  curls;  he  had  large  black 
eyes.  The  boy  was  in  every  way  as  beautiful  as  a 
poet's  dream.  He  was  a  great  student,  and  loved 
books.  Before  he  was  twelve  years  old  he  had  the 
reputation  in  our  little  town  of  being  the  best 
posted  in  history  of  anyone  in  the  town.  He  was 
naturally  very  religious.  He  died  at  his  uncle's 
house  in  Council  Bluffs,  where  he  was  visiting. 
He  was  sick  only  a  few  days  with  brain  fever. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  179 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Nominated  for  Governor  of  Missouri — Lithia   Springs    Assembl} — Hon.  Wm.   E. 
Mason — Good  Templar  Organizer — A  happy  life — Education,  religious,  views,  etc. 

In  May  that  year  (1892 )  the  Prohibition  Con- 
vention of  Missouri  met  in  Chillicothe,  and  nom- 
inated me  for  governor.  I  was  not  present  in 
the  convention,  being  in  Canada  at  that  time 
lecturing.  It  was  some  days  before  I  received  the 
announcement  of  my  nomination,  and  I  was  quite 
surprised  thereat.  I  did  not  desire  the  nomination, 
and  there  were  other  reasons  which,  had  I  been 
present,  would  have  compelled  me  to  decline  it.  I 
so  wrote  to  Dr.  Brooks,  and  to  Hon.  D.  Ward  King, 
the  chairman  of  our  State  committee,  telling  them 
that  I  could  not  see  my  way  clear  to  accept  the 
nomination.  But  they  prevailed  upon  me  to 
accept,  and  I  did  so  in  the  following  letter: 

Hon.  D.  Ward  King,  Maitland,  Missouri. 

My  Dear  Sir: — Your  letter  of  recent  date,  as  chairman  of 
the  Prohibition  State  Committee  informing  me  of  my  nomination 
for  the  office  of  governor  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  is  received  and 
its  contents  noted. 

To  have  one's  name  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  high 
office  of  governor  of  our  great  State,  an  office  that  has  been  filled 
by  so  many  of  its  gifted  sons,  is  an  honor  which  I  highly  appreciate. 
But  to  be  nominated  by  a  convention  like  that  which  recently 
assembled  at  Chillicothe,  composed,  as  it  was,  of  the  bravest  men 
and  most  intellectual  women,  is  an  honor,  indeed,  which  one  can- 
not too  highly  esteem  and  prize.  I  have  examined  the  platform 
laid  downjby  the  convention,  and  I  heartily  endorse  it, 


i8o  lyife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

The  liquor  problem  has  been  considered  by  all  thoughtful 
men  and  women  one  of  the  most  difficult  problems  to  meet  and 
solve.  In  our  State  we  first  tried  the  so-called  Downing  law, 
which  many  hoped  would  give  relief  from  the  baneful  effects  of  the 
liquor  traffic;  but  that  proved  disappointing.  Then  we  tried  the 
local-option  law.  When  that  was  enacted,  we  were  greatly  re- 
joiced, believing  a  great  step  forward  had  been  made.  We .  en- 
tered into  the  contest  with  enthusiasm,  and  more  than  eighty  coun- 
ties of  our  State  were  carried  against  the  liquor  traffic.  But  in 
most  of  these  counties  the  elections  h<we  been  set  aside  by  sub- 
servient courts,  and  in  a  large  number  of  others  the  laws  have 
been  rendered  largely  ineffective  by  the  unfaithful  prosecuting 
attorneys  acting  in  the  interests  of  the  political  parties  that  stand 
behind  the  liquor  traffic.  So  it  seems  to  us  now  that  there  is  but 
one  way  out  of  it,  and  that  must  be  through  a  political  party  that 
is  unanimously  opposed  to  the  traffic,  and  pledged  to  its  entire 
destruction.  Nor  do  we  stand  alone  in  our  views  on  the  importance 
of  the  liquor  problem.  The  Globe-Democrat  of  our  State,  the  largest 
and  ablest  Republican  paper  in  the  nation,  declared  a  few  years 
ago  that  the  supremacy  of  the  saloon-keeper's  influence  was  com- 
plete; and  The  St.  Louis  Republic,  the  greatest  Democratic  organ 
in  the  Southwest,  smarting  under  the  terrific  blows  that  were 
dealt  the  Democratic  party  by  the  liquor  interests,  caused  by  the 
enactment  of  the  local-option  law,  declared  that  the  saloon  was 
the  greatest  menace  to  the  purity  of  our  politics  and  the  indepen- 
dent action  of  legislators.  Our  own  observation  teaches  us  the 
same  thing — aye,  it  teaches  us  more:  that  it  is  not  only  the  power 
behind  the  throne,  but  it  is  the  throne  itself.  The  distinguished 
gentlemen  who  have  been  nominated  for  the  same  office  that  I 
have — gentlemen  whose  characters  are  such  that  they  cannot 
have  any  possible  sympathy  with  this  traffic — \vould  not  dare 
to  say  one  word  either  publicly  or  privately  against  it.  Our  party 
alone  appeals  to  the  Christian,  moral,  and  patriotic  elements  of 
our  State  and  nation  to  enter  our  ranks  to  combat  and  overcome 
this  giant  evil. 

I  am  glad  to  note  that  while  the  convention  w^as  thus  so  brave- 
ly outspoken  against  the  liquor  evil,  yet  they  just  as  fearlessly 
grappled  with  other  social  questions. 

That  one-half  of  our  people  should  be  disfranchised  on  ac- 
count of  their  sex — r.nd  that  sex  just  as  intellectual,  and  confessed- 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  181 

ly  much  more  moral— is  manifestly  so  unjust,  that  to  me  it  seems 
superfluous  to  argue  it.  Suffrage  should  be  predicated  upon  in- 
telligence, and  upon  intelligence  alone. 

The  currency  question  is  another  question  to  which  the  con- 
vention addressed  itself,  and  I  agree  with  the  convention  that  the 
money  of  our  country,  whether  gold,  silver,  or  paper,  should  be 
equal  to  the  business  demand  of  the  country,  and  should  not  be 
less  than  fifty  dollars  per  capita. 

The  government  ownership  of  railroads  and  telegraphs  I  have 
long  advocated,  and  it  is  no  longer  an  experiment.  It  has  been 
tried  in  both  Canada  and  Europe,  and  the  electric  light  and  water- 
works systems,  predicated  upon  the  same  principle,  have  been 
tried,  and  have  in  every  case  proven  successful. 

The  public  domain  of  our  country  should  be  carefully  guarded, 
so  that  foreigners  could  not  in  any  way  be  owners.  Our  public 
lands  should  be  for  Americans,  and  for  Americans  only. 

I  fully  coincide  with  the  convention  in  its  views  on  the  schocl 
question.  Our  public  schools  are  the  universities  of  our  plain 
people,  and  the  glory  of  our  nation;  the  religious  bigotry  must  not 
be  permitted  to  attack  them.  The  motto  of  every  true  American 
should  be:  "A  school-house  on  every  hill-top,  and  no  saloons  in 
the  valley." 

The  criminal  institutions  of  our  State  should,  in  my  opinion, 
be  so  conducted  that  they  may  be  as  free  as  possible  from  the 
spirit  of  vindictive  punishment;  and  the  one  object  in  view  should 
be  for  the  moral  and  intellectual  improvement  and  reformation 
of  the  unfortunate  inmates.  That  the  lash  is  still  permitted  in 
our  prison  is  a  shame  and  disgrace  to  our  State.  It  belongs  only 
to  the  age  of  the  rack  and  the  thumbscrew.  And  I  believe,  further, 
that  the  prisoners  should  be  paid  for  their  labor;  and,  with  this 
in  view,  that  the  contract  system  should  be  abolished  and  the 
work  done  inside  the  prison  walls,  and  that,  after  deducting  the 
cost  of  clothing  and  feeding  the  convicts,  the  balance  of  their 
earnings  should  be  kept  and  turned  over  to  the  convict  at  the  end 
of  his  term,  except  those  who  have  families,  and  their  earnings 
should  be  sent  to  the  families  at  the  end  of  each  month.  This 
would  enable  the  convict  to  support  his  family,  and  it  would  en- 
able the  man  without  a  family  to  have  a  sufficient  sum  of  money 
ready  when  he  closes  his  term  to  start  anew  in  life,  instead  of  leav- 
ing the  prison  penniless — as  is  often  the  case — and  being  driven 


1 82  lyife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

back  to  a  life  of  crime;  and  it  would  also  prevent  cheap  prison 
contract  labor  from  coming  in  competition  with  the  labor  outside 
of  the  prison.  I  feel  that,  in  advocating  this  humane  view  of  the 
prison  question,  we  should  have  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the 
Democratic,  Republican,  and  Populist  parties,  inasmuch  as  every 
convict  in  the  nation  is  either  a  Democrat,  Republican,  or  a  Popu- 
list. 

I  believe  that  our  tax  laws  should  be  so  readjusted  that  the 
residences,  or  homes,  of  our  people  should  be  free  from  taxation 
except  where  their  value  is  more  than  two  thousand  dollars.  Tax- 
.ation  should  be  upon  people's  luxuries,  and  not  upon  their  neces- 
sities. 

Thus  going  before  the  people  of  the  State  of  Missouri ,  and  the 
nation,  so  manifestly  just  and  right,  we  have  a  right  to  demand 
their  sober  and  intelligent  consideration.  We  are  not  afraid  of 
the  sting  of  defeat,  as  we  know  that  victory  has  always  been  rocked 
in  the  cradle  of  reverses.  But  with  our  faith  in  God  and  the  Ameri- 
can people,  and  with  supreme  confidence  in  the  justice  of  our  cause, 
we  go  forth  to  battle,  and  ultimately  to  victory. 

JJOHN  SOBIESKI. 
Neosho,  Missouri,  August  3,  1392. 

During  August  of  this  year  (1896 )  I  was  plat- 
form manager  at  Lithia  Springs  Assembly,  where 
I  presided  at  the  debate  there  between  ex-Gover- 
nor St.  John  and  Hon.  William  E.  Mason,  on  the 
financial  question.  It  was  an  intensely  interesting, 
and  a  good-humored  discussion.  The  disputants 
were  quite  courteous  to  each  other.  Both  are  men 
of  very  popular  qualities.  I  make  mention  of  ex- 
Governor  St.  John  in  another  place.  I  will  here 
speak  of  Mr.  Mason. 

I  found  Mr.  Mason  a  genial,  warm-hearted, 
sympathetic  man.  I  must  confess  that  his  career 
in  the  United  States  Senate  has  been  to  me  a 


ife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  183 

pleasant  surprise.  I  took  it  for  granted  that  he 
was  an  intense  partisan,  and  would  cheerfully  obey 
the  dictum  of  his  party  chief;  and  doubtless,  if  he 
had  been  consulting  his  own  personal  interest,  he 
would  have  done  so:  but  in  the  Senate  he  has 
shown  a  laudable  independence.  He  has  not  only 
antagonized  the  administration,  but  the  entire 
leadership  of  his  party,  in  standing  by  his  con- 
victions for  what  he  thinks  is  for  the  best  interest 
of  country  and  humanity.  He  has  recently  de- 
clared in  a  letter  to  a  friend,  that  he  would  rather 
be  one  of  the  people  to  help  elect  senators,  than 
to  be  in  the  Senate  and  stultify  his  conscience. 
The  principles  that  seem  to  govern  Senator  Mason 
are  lofty  patriotism  and  an  enlightened  humani- 
tarianism. 

I  have  organized  two  thousand  and  eighty-six 
lodges  of  Good  Templars,  and  taken  into  the  order 
ninety  thousand  members.  In  all  of  my  eight 
hundred  thousand  miles  of  travel,  I  have  never 
been  aboard  a  boat,  or  a  ship,  or  a  train,  when  there 
has  been  anyone  injured  by  accident. 

Though  I  am  sixty-four  years  of  age  (in  1907 ), 
I  am  not  conscious  of  the  slightest  decadence  in 
any  of  my  mental  or  physical  powers.  During 
the  last  year,  on  one  occasion  I  rode  thirty  miles 
by  private  conveyance,  and  made  four  speeches  in 
one  day,  and  felt  in  splendid  condition  when  I 
retired. 


184  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

My  life  up  to  the  present  time  has  been  ex- 
ceedingly happy.  My  work  has  brought  me  in 
contact  and  association  with  the  best  people  in 
the  world,  and  I  am  not  aware  that  I  have  an 
enemy  on  earth.  I  am  sure  that  I  am  not  an 
enemy  of  anybody  in  the  world.  And  if  I  had  my 
life  to  live  over  again,  I  would  choose  the  same 
path;  avoiding,  however,  some  of  the  mistakes 
that  I  have  made.  And  I  think  my  life  has  been  a 
remarkably  successful  one,  considering  the  small 
amount  of  mental  capital  I  had  invested. 

Some  years  ago  I  was  the  guest  for  a  night  at 
the  home  of  a  distinguished  American  statesman, 
who  has  been  the  governor  of  his  State,  and  is  now 
serving  on  his  third  term  in  the  United  States 
Senate.  He  and  I  had  become  acquainted  when 
we  were  both  just  starting  out  in  life.  We  were 
both  born  in  the  same  year.  In  addition  to  his 
success  politically,  he  has  been  very  successful 
financially,  being  a  millionaire.  During  the  even- 
ing a  gentleman  called  on  him,  and  they  stepped 
into  the  library,  which  was  just  off  from  the  parlor, 
leaving  me  to  be  entertained  by  his  very  charming 
and  witty  wife.  During  our  talk  the  lady  told  a 
witty  story — for  she  was  a  very  good  story-teller— 
and  I  gave  a  very  hearty  laugh,  as  I  often  do. 

After  his  wife  had  retired,  he  said  to  me: 
"How  much  money  have  you  accumulated?" 

I  told  him  I  couldn't  tell  exactlv,  but  I  would 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  185 

see  in  a  minute.  I  was  pretty  flush  that  day. 
When  I  went  down  into  my  pocket,  I  found  twelve 
dollars  and  sixty-two  cents. 

"Well,"  said  my  distinguished  friend,  "the 
world  generally  would  say  that  I  have  been  the 
more  successful  man  of  the  two.  I  have  all  the 
political  honors  I  ever  aspired  to,  and  have  ac- 
cumulated more  wealth  than  I  ever  expected  to. 
You  have  none  of  these  things,  and  yet  you  are 
the  happier  man  of  the  two.  I  see  by  your  talk 
that  you  believe  in  everybody,  while  I  believe  in- 
hardly  anybody.  Your  life  has  been  such  that 
you  have  seen  the  best  side  of  mankind ;  mine  has 
been  such  that  I  have  seen  the  worst  side  of  man- 
kind. I  have  a  lot  of  political  friends,  yet  I  know 
they  wouldn't  hestitate  to  cut  my  throat,  meta- 
phorically speaking,  or  trample  me  under  foot  at 
any  time  when  it  would  advance  their  interests. 
I  thought  when  I  heard  you  laugh  to-night  while 
I  was  in  the  library,  that  I  would  give  half  of  my 
fortune  if  I  could  give  such  a  hearty  laugh  as  that. 

I  have  often  been  asked  where  I  received  my 
education.  I  have  to  answer  that  up  to  the  age  of 
eleven  years  my  mother  taught  me ;  and  since  then 
I  have  picked  up  all  that  I  have.  I  never  went  to 
school  a  day  in  my  life.  I  always  had  a  passion 
for  books — and  the  best  of  books;  I  have  never 
read  any  of  the  light,  trashy  literature.  The 
works  of  fiction  that  I  have  read  have  for  the  most 


1 86  L,ife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

part  been  standard  works.  My  reading  has  gen- 
erally been  historical,  biographical,  travels,  sociol- 
ogy. The  magazines  that  I  have  read  chiefly 
have  been  the  Century,  Arena,  Forum,  North 
American  Review,  and  Harpers  Magazine.  I 
have  often  been  asked  what  my  method  of  learning 
to  read  English  was.  That  was  quite  easy  for  me : 
the  Polish  language  has  the  Latin  letters  the  same 
as  the  English  language ;  so  just  as  soon  as  I  once 
learned  to  speak  English,  I  easily  learned  to  read 
English.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  first  book 
that  I  read  in  the  English  tongue  was  the  history 
of  Aaron  Burr  and  his  celebrated  trial.  The  next 
book  was  Irving's  "Life  of  Washington."  Capt. 
Magruder,  afterward  Major-General  Magruder  of 
the  Confederate  army,  my  old  captain,  let  me  have 
the  book.  He  said  it  would  make  a  good  Amer- 
ican of  me,  and  it  did.  My  next  book  was  Ban- 
croft's "History  of  the  United  States."  This 
was  followed  by  Gibbon's  "History  of  Rome," 
and  from  that  time  on  I  have  always  been  passion- 
ately fond  of  history. 

I  have  never  cared  for  games  of  any  kind ;  con- 
sequently I  have  never  played  any  except  croquet, 
and  never  liked  that.  I  love  music  and  painting ; 
especially  am  I  fond  of  vocal  music.  I  am  passion- 
ately fond  of  children — especially  little  girls. 
Children  intuitively  seem  to  know  my  fondness 
for  them,  and  they  soon  begin  to  recognize  me  on 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  187 

the  street;  and  when  I  lecture  in  a  place  a  week 
or  ten  days,  as  I  usually  do,  it  is  the  children  who 
always  greet  me  the  first  thing  when  I  leave  the 
platform. 

I  was  always  fond  of  reading  religious  litera- 
ture, and  especially  had  a  passion  for  reading  or 
investigating  religious  beliefs  and  controversies; 
so  that  I  am  fairly  well  posted  in  regard  to  the 
beliefs  of  the  reading  religious  denominations :  and 
I  think  the  fact  that  I  have  read  so  many  of  these 
books  of  controversy  has  brought  me  to  the  point 
of  appreciating  how  little  theological  views  have 
to  do  with  Christian  life  and  character.  Since  I 
have  arrived  at  what  they  call  the  "years  of  un- 
derstanding, my  views  upon  theological  matters 
have  greatly  changed.  My  religious  views  at  this 
writing  (November  28th,  1899)  are  these:  I 
believe  in  one  eternal  God  and  loving  Father  of  all, 
the  Creator  and  Governor  of  all  things.  I  believe 
in  Jesus  Christ,  who  was  sent  to  teach  us  the  way 
of  salvation  and  truth.  I  believe  it  is  our  religious 
duty  to  do  all  we  can  to  overcome  every  evil  pro- 
pensity of  our  nature,  and  I  believe  that  through 
God's  grace  and  power  we  can  accomplish  this. 
I  believe  we  should  carry  our  religion  into  all  the 
affairs  of  life.  In  all  of  our  transactions  with  our 
fellowmen,  we  should  in  every  case  do  as  we 
would  have  them  do  unto  us. 


1 88  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

THE  GREATEST  CRIME  I  EVER  COMMITTED 

It  is  the  saying  among  the  French,  that  an 
Englishman  will  arise  on  a  beautiful  morning— 
which  they  occasionally  have  in  England— and 
say:  "This  is  a  glorious  morning,  let  us  go  out 
and  kill  something."  But  I  never  had  a  fondness 
for  the  murder  of  animals  or  birds,  or  even  fish. 

Some  years  ago,  I  was  stopping  with  a  friend, 
a  doctor,  in  a  little  town  in  Illinois  and  he  pro- 
posed that  we  should  go  out  and  kill  something. 
So,  giving  me  a  musket,  and  taking  one  for  him- 
self, we  started  for  a  small  grove  a  couple  of  miles 
from  his  house,  but  failed  to  find  anything  to 
kill.  The  squirrels,  which  were  our  objective 
game,  had  evidently  got  an  inkling  of  our  coming, 
and  kept  out  of  sight.  After  an  hour  or  so  spent 
in  the  forest,  we  started  to  return  to  the  house. 

Sauntering  leisurely  along  under  some  tall  elms, 
I  heard  a  bird  singing,  and  looking  up  I  saw  a  wee 
bit  of  a  bird  perched  upon  a  lofty  limb,  singing  very 
sweetly.  Without  a  moment's  thought,  and  with- 
out the  slightest  idea  that  I  could  hit  so  small  a 
mark  (for  I  had  none  of  the  spirit  of  murder  in  my 
heart),  I  up  with  my  musket  and  banged  away.  I 
saw  some  feathers  fly,  and  the  little  songster  came 
dropping  down  from  branch  to  branch,  and  fell  at 
my  feet.  I  stooped  down  and  picked  it  up.  It 
was  a  tiny  little  thing,  not  much  larger  than  my 
thumb,  of  a  yellowish  green  color,  as  beautiful  as 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  189 

it  could  be.  Then  like  a  flash  the  thought  came 
upon  me:  what  a  contemptible  deed  I  had  done! 
Here  was  one  of  God's  beautiful  creatures  that  had 
just  as  much  right  to  existence  as  I,  and  its  life, 
doubtless,  was  as  sweet  to  it  as  mine  was  to  me, 
and  at  the  very  moment  that  it  was  singing  its 
beautiful  songs  to  make  the  world  more  pleasant 
and  glorious,  I  had  brutally  shot  it  to  death! 

I  carefully  buried  it  among  the  leaves,  and  then 
promised  myself  that  I  would  never  again  want- 
only destroy  life.  I  then  begged  my  friend,  who 
wore  a  pair  of  very  heavy  boots,  to  please  kick  me 
over  to  his  house.  This  he  refused  to  do.  But  I 
returned  to  his  home  a  wiser  and  a  sadder  man. 

I  regard  this  the  greatest  crime  I  ever  com- 
mitted. 


190  Ivife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 


CHAPTER  XX. 


Some  of    my  Co-workers  in  Reforms  —  John  Russel — John    P.  St.  John — Col. 
Frank  J.  Sibley— Mrs.  Charlton  Edholm-Sibley. 


In  the  nearly  forty  years  that  I  have  been  a 
lecturer  'and  associated  with  reformers  alike  in- 
terested with  me  in  the  temperance  work  and 
kindred  endeavors,  I  have  formed  acquaintances 
that  have  been  very  dear  to  me,  and  if  space 
only  permitted  it,  I  should  be  pleased  to  include 
them  all  in  the  notices  which  I  print  in  this  book. 

JOHN  RUSSEL  OF  MICHIGAN 

My  first  real  temperance  work  was  under  this 
distinguished  reformer,  who  was  then  at  the  head 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Good  Templars  in 
the  state  of  Michigan.  At  that  time  the  order 
numbered  forty  thousand  members  in  that  state. 

John  Russel  is  one  of  the  greatest  men  of 
our  country.  He  entered  the  Methodist  ministry 
when  a  very  young  man,  and  remained  in  active 
work  in  that  ministry  until  his  very  advanced 
age  pervented  him  from  meeting  the  require- 
ments of  its  arduous  labor. 

The  time  which  he  devoted  to  temperance 
reform  he  never  regarded  as  in  any  degree  con- 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  191 

flicting  with  his  regular  work,  as  he  regarded  it 
as  a  part  of  his  church  labor. 

He  received  a  splendid  education,  and  with 
his  strong,  vigorous  mind  and  imbued  with  Chris- 
tian thought  and  ideas  he  was  enabled  to  leave 
the  great  impression  he  has  upon  the  church  and 
country. 

He  was  an  early  free  soiler,  and  then  an  early 
Republican,  and  one  of  the  organizers  of  that 
party.  But  when  the  war  was  over  and  slavery 
was  abolished,  he  had  no  further  use  for  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  wanted  a  party  to  do  some- 
thing else,  that  he  knew  the  Republican  party 
could  not  or  would  not  do.  That  was  to  abolish 
the  legalized  liquor  traffic.  So  he  was  the  first 
one  to  move  in  the  direction  of  organizing  the 
Prohibition  party.  He  was  the  temporary  chair- 
man of  their  first  national  convention,  their  first 
candidate  for  vice-president,  and  was  conceded 
by  all  to  be  the  father  of  the  Prohibition  party. 
Though  an  aggressive  Prohibitionist  and  reformer, 
yet  I  am  sure  he  has  never  said  a  bitter  or  vin- 
dictive word;  he  was  always  sweet  and  Christian- 
like  in  spirit.  But  his  logic  was  irresistable.  I 
have  never  known  one  that  equalled  him.  No 
one  could  resist  him. 

He  is  still  living — almost  ninety  years  of  age; 
still  confident  in  the  ultimate  victory  of  the  Pro- 
hibition party. 


:  .:  Life  of 

JOHX  P.  ST.  JOHN 

I  made  the  a^xpnaintance  o£  ex-Governor  John 
P.  St.  John  at  Topeka.  Kansas,  in  1S81T  at  the 
time  of  the  meeting  cf  the  Right  Worthy  Grand 
Lodge  of  Good  Templars.  He  was  then  the  gov- 
eroor  of  tbe  State  of  Kansas^  Govienaor  St.  John 
was  born  in  tbe  State  of  Indiam.  While  be  was 
yet  very  young  tbe  family  came  to  nHnois. 
When  tbe  goH  excitement  occurred  in  California, 
though  bat  a  mere  lad  at  tbe  time,  be  walked 
across  tbe  plains  to  California :  and  I  think  he 
finally  went  to  Australia-  Re-turning  to  Elmois, 
be  stusdiied  law  and  was  admitted  to  tbe  bar.  He 
married  Miss  Parker,  tbe  daughter  of  State  Senator 
Parker,  of  Charfeston.  Illinois.  He  now  began 
tbe  practice-  of  law  at  CharisestocL  He  bad  jost 
got  well  staned  in  law  when  tbe  Civil  War  broke 
He  entered  tbe  army  at  ooce,  in  one  of  tbe 
s  regiments^  where  be  made  a  splendid  repu- 
tation as  a  brave  and  ga.TTa.nt  officer. 

At  tbe  close  of  tbe  war  be  moved  to  Missouri, 
but  nemained  tbe-re  only  a  year  or  sOv  wben  be  went 
to-  Kansas  locating-  where  be  oow  lives,  at  GLatbe* 
He  was  elected  to-  the  Kansas  legislature,  I  think 
serving  in  "both  branches:  and  1S7S  was  elected 
governor  of  tbe  State.  Governor  St.  John  is  a 
mtural-borc  reformer.  He  iras  an  early  aboii- 
tionist  and  Repobiican.  and  was  ooce  indicted  in 
Sw  mnder  tbe  infernons  black  laws,  for  feeding 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  193 

a  negro.     They  failed  to  convict  him,  although  he 
openly  acknowledged  his  offense.     He  was  always 
a  temperance  man — a  radical  temperance  man—- 
and an  uncompromising  prohibitionist. 

When  the  prohibition  amendment  was  pending 
in  his  State  in  1880,  he  entered  earnestly  into  the 
battle  in  its  behalf,  and  was  the  only  man  of 
prominence  in  his  party  who  did;  and  it  is 
generally  conceded  that  his  influence  resulted 
in  the  adoption  of  the  prohibition  amendment. 
A  gentleman  who  was  at  Bismarck  Grove,  near 
Lawrence,  Kansas,  at  a  prohibition  camp-meet- 
ing in  1880,  said  that  Governor  St.  John  was  there 
to  speak  in  behalf  of  the  amendment.  The 
.Republican  State  Convention  was  to  meet  a  few 
days  afterward.  Some  of  his  political  friends  came 
there  to  "protest  against  his  doing  so.  They 
told  him  they  could  see  110  objection  to  his  speak- 
ing along  the  line  of  general  temperance  but  told 
him  if  he  spoke  in  behalf  of  the  amendment,  it 
would  defeat  him  in  the  convention. 

He  said  to  them:  "Gentlemen,  I  am  here  to 
speak  for  the  prohibition  amendment,  and  I  shall 
do  it.  I  hate  the  traffic,  and  I  have  always  hated 
it;  I  have  never  got  a  chance  to  give  it  a  blow, 
but  I  shall  do  so  in  the  future ;  and  while  I  would 
like  to  be  re-elected  governor  of  the  State,  I  do 
not  propose  to  purchase  it  at  the  price  of  my 
conscience  and  convictions.  Gentlemen,  I  shall 


194  Life  °f  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

speak  for  the  prohibition  amendment  to-day,  and 
many  other  times  before  the  election." 

That  ended  the  interview,  and  he  was  renomi- 
nated  and  reelected,  and  the  amendment  was 
adopted  and  the  law  enacted.  He  was  renomi- 
nated  again  in  1882,  but  the  liquor  element  in  his 
own  party  joined  with  the  Democratic  party,  and 
there  being  a  great  Democratic  slide  that  year,  he 
was  defeated  by  a  small  majority.  It  has  been 
said  that  he  deserted  the  Republican  party  on 
account  of  his  defeat  that  year,  and  sought  to 
revenge  himself  by  defeating  it  in  the  nation. 
Nothing  could  be  further  from  the  truth.  His 
attachment  to  the  Republican  party  was  as  strong 
as  ever  after  that  defeat.  I  had  several  conversa- 
tions with  him,  and  know  this  to  be  so. 

After  the  action  of  the  Republicans  in  conven- 
tion in  1884,  there  was  but  one  thing  he  could  do, 
and  he  did  it  bravely.  The  campaign  of  1884  was 
signalized  for  slander,  the  Republican  party  charg- 
ing Mr.  Cleveland  with  an  immoral  life,  while  the 
Democratic  party,  on  the  other  hand,  were  charg- 
ing Mr.  Blaine  with  selling  his  influence  as  Speaker 
of  the  House  to  carry  through  corrupt  measures, 
and  with  being  an  immoral  man  when  he  was 
young ;  and  altogether  the  campaign  was  the  dirt- 
iest, most  disgusting  and  disgraceful  our  nation 
has  ever  known.  Every  effort  was  made  that 
could  be  made  to  prevail  on  Governor  St.  John  to 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  195 

withdraw  from  the  contest  so  late  in  the  campaign 
as  to  prevent  another  man  being  put  on  in  his 
place,  but  it  was  unavailing.  Governor  St.  John 
received  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  votes  at 
that  election. 

COL.    FRANK    J.    SIBLEY 

One  of  the  most  pleasant  associations  in  my 
life  has  been  with  Col.  Frank  J.  Sibley  who  was 
introduced  to  me  by  John  B.  Finch  who  had  been 
intimately  associated  with  Col.  Sibley  from  the 
beginning  of  his  career. 

In  1880  I  found  Col.  Sibley  hard  at  work 
speaking  and  planning  for  the  adoption  of  the 
Prohibitory  Constitutional  amendment  in  Kan- 
sas, and  in  many  conversations  with  him  on  that 
subject  at  the  time  he  outlined  the  struggle  which 
has  continued  for  twTenty-seven  years  for  the 
putting  in  successful  operation  the  supression  of 
the  liquor  traffic  as  provided  by  the  amended 
constitution. 

As  I  look  back  over  these  years  of  efforts  at 
law  enforcement  I  now  perceive  that  he  had,  at 
that  early  date,  foreseen  all  the  impediments  in 
the  way,  and  had  suggested  the  practical  reme- 
dies for  every  one  of  the  difficulties  that  has  ever 
arisen,  and  I  am  satisfied  that  if  the  Legislature 
would  have  listened  to  the  suggestions  that  he 
then  offered  their  committees,  the  liquor  business 


196  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

in  Kansas  would  have  been  completely  suppressed 
more  than  two  decades  ago. 

Very  early  in  my  acquaintance  with  Col. 
Sibley  I  became  impressed  with  his  ability  to 
cope  with  almost  any  situation  and  to  adapt  him- 
self to  almost  any  situation  or  set  of  conditions 
which  might  arise. 

I  was  early  impressed  with  his  wide  knowledge 
of  business  details  of  large  enterprises.  This  was 
again  emphasized  by  the  wonderful  success  of  a 
series  of  Prohibition  camp  meetings,  reaching  to 
the  principal  points  in  five  states  and  managed 
under  his  sole  direction.  Ten  of  the  most  emi- 
nent speakers  in  the  United  States  appeared  in 
the  course. 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  being  associated  with 
this  eminent  talent  throughout  the  course.  Every- 
thing was  so  carefully  arranged  by  Col.  Sibley 
that  at  the  beginning  of  a  two  months  tour  each 
speaker  received  from  him  a  carefully  prepared 
schedule  showing  the  exact  date  and  hour  he  was 
to  leave  each  point,  by  what  railroad  and  the 
hour  of  his  arrival  at  the  next.  This  involved 
over  5000  miles  of  railroad  travel  and  the  stopping 
of  a  day  or  more  at  over  thirty  cities.  I  thought 
when  I  received  my  schedule  that  the  chances 
were  that  we  should  have  to  make  a  good  many 
changes  in  it. 

The  amusing  fact   in  the  outcome   was  that 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  197 

everyone  of  the  speakers  made  all  these  trips 
exactly  as  laid  out  in  advance  and  always  arrived 
in  time,  except  once,  when  Col.  Bain  and  myself 
were  induced  by  a  conductor  on  the  railroad  to 
change  the  route  as  he  said  there  were  no  trains 
that  would  make  the  connections  in  the  schedule. 
This  change  brought  us  five  hours  late  and  we 
were  somewhat  chagrined  to  find  that  the  train 
on  which  we  had  been  appointed  to  travel  had 
arrived  exactly  as  had  been  designated  in  our 
schedule. 

Col.  Bain  and  I  had  a  good  many  laughs  at 
what  we  supposed  was  Col.  Sibley's  mistake,  but 
when  we  found  out  the  real  facts  we  concluded 
that  we  did  not  have  much  of  a  joke  on  him. 

I  might  add  that  although  this  series  of  meet- 
ings was  very  expensive  yet  the  management  was 
so  carefully  and  judiciously  planned  that  on  the 
last  day  of  the  last  meeting  every  speaker  was 
paid  in  full  and  every  bill  for  the  whole  trip 
promptly  paid. 

In  late  years  Col.  Sibley  has  resided  in  Tucson, 
Arizona,  and  has  been  engaged  in  very  large  Cop- 
per mining  experiences,  which,  under  his  careful 
management,  with  his  great  talent  for  arranging 
every  detail  of  business,  has  proved  marvel ously 
successful  and  has  made  many  thousands  of  dollars 
for  the  fortunate  people  who  have  invested  with 
him. 


198  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

It  has  been  a  source  of  gratification  to  me  to 
find  that  even  in  the  midst  of  large  business  re- 
sponsibilities requiring  the  closest  application  and 
his  constant  attention,  that  Col.  Sibley  never  for- 
gets the  interests  of  the  Prohibition  cause  or  the 
workers  engaged  in  it,  and  they  still  have  his 
warmest  sympathy  and  most  substantial  help 
in  all  the  work  of  the  great  reform. 

Col.  Sibley  was  exceedingly  fortunate  in  his 
marriage  relations.  When  but  nineteen  years  of 
age,  in  I860,  he  married  Alice  F.  Barney,  who 
was  then  but  seventeen  years  of  age.  She  was  a 
schoolmate  of  his,  reared  in  the  same  neighbor- 
hood. She  matured  into  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive women  I  ever  knew.  She  was  exceedingly 
handsome,  very  vivacious,  and  witty,  a  model 
wife  and  mother.  She  was  a  helpmate  in  every 
particular.  In  all  the  struggle  of  Col.  Sibley's 
life,  she  stood  faithfully  and  loyally  by  his  side. 
The  fruit  of  this  marriage  was  two  sons.  This 
estimable  lady  died  in  1903. 

On  September  28,  1905,  Col.  Sibley  married 
Mrs.  Charlton  Edholm,  a  renowned  lecturer  on 
Prohibition  and  social  purity,  a  woman  in  full 
sympathy  with  her  husband  in  all  his  moral  ideas. 

MRS.    CHARLTON     EDHOLM-SIBLEY 

From  "Who's  Who  in  America'  we  quote  as 
follows:  Marv  Grace  Charlton  Edholm,  lecturer; 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  199 

born  Freeport,  111.,  Oct.  28th,  1854;  daughter  of 
James  Bovard  and  Lucy  Gow  Charlton,  educated 
in  the  public  schools  and  college  to  sophomore 
year.  Married  1878  Osborne  L.  Edholm,  journal- 
ist. Was  connected  for  years  with  Oakland  and 
San  Francisco  newspapers;  was  Superintendent 
of  Press,  Worlds  W.  C.  T.  U. ;  lectured  for  Florence 
Crittenton  Missions  and  now  engaged  in  evan- 
gelistic work  in  the  line  of  social  purity.  In 
1901  founded  the  Lucy  Charlton  Memorial,  named 
after  her  mother,  as  a  home  for  unfortunate 
women  and  children.  For  this  purpose  she  used 
her  own  home  in  Oakland,  Cal.,  and  has  supported 
the  charity  from  proceeds  of  her  lectures  and  sale 
of  her  books.  Prohibition  nominee  State  Supt. 
of  Public  Instruction,  Cal.  1902.  Arthur:  Traffic 
in  Girls  and  Work  of  the  Rescue  Missions. 

In  1901  Mrs.  Sobieski  persuaded  many  minis- 
ters in  Southern  California  to  invite  Mrs.  Edholm 
to  speak  on  the  Traffic  in  Girls,  and  these  hundreds 
of  lectures  aroused  the  people  to  stop  this  in- 
famous traffic  in  white  slaves.  Scores  of  girls 
told  Mrs.  Edholm  that  they  had  been  saved  from 
snares  laid  for  them  by  the  warning  they  had 
received  from  hearing  the  addresses  or  reading 
her  book.  It  is  fitting  that  as  King  John  Sobieski 
saved  the  maidens  of  Europe  from  Turkish  harems 
in  1683,  that  the  wife  of  his  descendent  should 
arouse  the  ministry  of  California  to  save  the 


200  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

maidens  of  their  land  from  a  still  more  horrible  fate. 

Rev.  Dr.  Chapman  invited  Mrs.  Edholm  to 
speak  on  Anti-Saloon  Day  at  the  Long  Beach 
Chautauqua,  and  her  address  on  "Municipal  Part- 
nership with  the  Traffic  in  Girls"  so  aroused  the 
righteous  indignation  of  Rev.  Sidney  C.  Kendall 
that  he  called  on  Mrs.  Edholm  and  outlined  the 
plan  of  his  now  famous  book,  "  The  Soundings  of 
Hell"  offering  her  the  manuscript  if  she  would 
publish  and  circulate  it  with  her  own  book,  "  Traffic 
in  Girls."  With  gratitude  Mrs.  Edholm  accepted 
Mr.  Kendall's  generous  offer,  and  his  marvelous 
book  has  since  become  the  Les  Miserables  of  the 
purity  reform,  while  he  himself  has  achieved  an 
inter-national  reputation  as  a  Knight  of  the 
Twentieth  Century  to  save  girls  from  organized 
hordes  of  procurers. 

As  the  prohibition  of  the  liquor  traffic  is  the 
only  way  to  stop  the  traffic  in  girls,  and  as  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  Wiley  Phi  lips  had  long  been  interested 
in  purity  work  it  was  but  natural  that  The  Cali- 
fornia Voice,  the  organ  of  the  Prohibition  Party, 
should  publish  in  serial  form  "  The  Soundings  of 
Hell"  As  Rev.  Kendall,  the  author,  and  Rev. 
Rev.  Phillips,  the  publisher,  scoured  the  "crib" 
district  for  evidence  against  these  trafficers  in 
maidens,  their  blood  boiled  with  fury,  and  night 
after  night  they  risked  life  in  this  holy  cause. 
Like  the^signersjDf  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  201 

ence  these  men  have  pledged  their  lives,  their 
fortunes  and  their  sacred  honor  to  free  these  victims 
from  the  living  tomb  of  the  house  of  shame  and 
abolish  forever  the  traffic  in  girls. 

The  people  of  Los  Angeles  became  so  aroused 
by  this  constant  agitation  of  the  Voice  and  Mrs. 
Edholm's  addresses  that  after  a  tremendous  mass 
meeting,  led  by  Rev.  Kendall  and  Rev.  Phillips, 
five  hundred  Christians  marched  en  masse  to 
the  " cribs"  singing  "Onward  Christian  Soldiers, 
Marching  as  to  War."  There  they  prayed  and 
sang  with  the  poor  enslaved  girls  and  on  Tuesday 
night  by  order  of  the  police  every  one  of  these 
three  hundred  "cribs"  were  closed.  Later  they 
were  nearly  all  razed  to  the  ground. 

But  realizing  that  the  only  permanent  en- 
forcement of  law  must  come  from  the  Prohibition 
Party  officials,  Mrs.  Edholm  made  the  trip  from 
Vancouver,  B.  C.,  to  Indianapolis  to  persuade 
the  National  Convention  of  the  Prohibition  Party 
to  incorporate  a.  plank  in  their  platform  denounc- 
ing the  municipal  partnership  in  the  "Traffic  in 
Girls."  This  was  done,  and  these  splendid  cru- 
saders, many  hundred  thousand  strong,  writh 
their  battle  cry,  "God  wills  it!"  will  rescue  not 
the  tomb  of  the  dead  Christ  from  the  infidel  Turk 
but  these  maidens,  countless  numbers  of  them, 
whose  bodies  are  "temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost," 
from  a  living  death,  for  with  the  abolition  of  the 
liquor  traffic-  they  will  abolish  the  traffic  in  girls. 


202  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

JOHN    SOBIESKI 

FEB.  22,  1855 FEB.  22,  1905 


By  F.  J.  SIBLEY,  of  Tucson,  Arizona. 


A   half    a   hundred    years!     Alone,    storm    tossed, 

A    half    a    century    passed!    since    exile    crossed 

A  wintry  ocean.     His  the  heart  to  brave 

All  dangers.     As  his  fathers  gave 

Their   lives  for   Freedom, — so,   not   less   would   he 

I^ndure   all    things    to    make   his    brothers   free. 

From   England's  fading   shores,    no   loving  hands 

Were  waved  to  cheer  the  voyage  to  unknown  lands. 

No  welcome  waited  when  the  voyage  was  done. 

In  all  the  surging  multitude,   not  one 

Was   there   to    greet   him.     Just    a   sturdy   lad, 

With  true,  strong  heart; — 'twas  all  the  wealth  he  had. 

Yet,   in  his   veins   the  high   and   royal  blood 

Of    untold    centuries    of    valor    flowed. 

Imperial    Sobieski    led    the   host 

That  overthrew  the  Turk,   else  had   Europe  lost, 

And,    superstition    thrust    across    its    track, 

The   onward    march    of    Christian    thought    turned    back. 

Nor  yet  less  brave  or  grand,  that  later  sire, 
That  dared   to   lead,    along  the   path   of   fire, 
That  he  must  surely  tread,  who  would  restore 
The   sceptre   that   his  fathers   held   before; —  . 
That  sire  who   proudly  trod  the  scaffold   path, 
Prepared  for  him  who  dares  the  Russian  wrath. 

Strange  that  he  reached  our  land  that  day  of  days, 
When   all   the   nation,    deepest   homage   pays 
To    Washington.     Did    that    great    patriot    call 
This  robbed   and   exiled   prince   to   stand   or  fall, 
In  new-world  wars,  for  all  that  men  hold  dear? 
Whose  e'er  the  call,  he  answered,    "I   am  here". 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  203 

Then  years  of  inarch,  where  tropic  river  flows, 

Or  where  the  storms  have  piled  the  mountain  snows, — 

Ten  years  of  war  and  camp,  and  battle  field 

Ten    years   of    his    young   life   to   freedom   sealed, 

And    then    a    life    enlistment    in    the    cause 

Of   sober   manhood,    stayed   by  righteous   laws. 

What,   though   to  him  the  ancient  throne  no   more 

The  fate  .of  future  year  can   e'er  restore! 

Riches,   and   strength,   and   power,   are  vain   to   bring, — 

The   life  he   lives,   is   all   that   makes   a  king. 

Though  crown  and  throne,   and  sceptred  kingdoms  fall, 

A  royal  manhood  triumphs  over  all. 


204  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Celebration  of  the  Fiftieth  Anniversary  of  my  Arrival  in  America— Addresses 
and  Letters  from  Prominent  Reformers. 

REMARKS  BY  CHAIRMAN    GEO.  M.   BASSETT 

I  am  glad  to  serve  as  chairman  on  this  oc- 
casion. This  large  company  present  is  glad  to 
be  here.  Willard  Hall  could  not  contain  the 
people  who  would  like  to  be  here  today.  In 
coming  here  to  show  our  appreciation  of  Col. 
Sobieski,  and  to  honor  him,  we  are  ourselves 
honored.  I  presume  every  one  here  claims  Col. 
Sobieski  as  a  personal  friend  and  could  testify 
how  helpful  and  uplifting  his  influence  has  been 
to  us. 

We  honor  the  man  today  who  has  been  used 
of  God  to  strike  mighty  blows  at  our  common 
enemy. 

There  is  a  fitness  in  meeting  today  in  Willard 
Hall.  This  place  is  already  rich  in  memories 
and  observances.  How  appropriate  that  here 
and  nowT  John  Sobieski  and  his  friends  are  per- 
mitted to  celebrate  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his 
arrival  in  America. 

One  of  the  best  equipped  organizations  for 
fighting  the  liquor  traffic  has  been  the  Order  of 
Good  Templars. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  205 

I  presume  the  majority  of  those  present  has 
at  some  time  been  a  member  of  a  Lodge  and  has 
helped  it  form  the  "circle  of  unity." 

No  man  has  done  more  to  advance  the  interests 
of  this  Order  than  Col.  Sobieski. 

ADDRESS     BY    E.    W.    CHAFIN 
Grand  Chief  Templar  of  Illinois 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  Colonel  Sobieski:  On 
behalf  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Good  Templars  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  I  take  pleasure  today  in  ex- 
tending to  you  our  hearty  greetings  and  congratu- 
lations. In  1868  Brother  Sobieski  was  induced 
to  leave  his  home  in  Minnesota  and  come  to  work 
for  the  Good  Templars  of  Illinois.  That  was 
Brother  Sobieski's  first  session  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
and  I  have  no  doubt  that  that  session  made  a 
lasting  impression  upon  his  mind.  The  report 
of  the  committee  on  Prof.  Wilkin's  report  laid 
the  foundation  for  political  action  in  this  great 
reform.  We  cannot  in  five  minutes  give  much  of 
Colonel  Sobieski's  work  for  our  order.  He  was 
connected  for  many  years  with  our  work  in 
this  state.  Last  year  I  spoke  in  forty-seven 
different  counties  of  Illinois,  and  in  not  a  county 
did  I  speak  but  that  someone  asked  about  him. 
I  found  that  his  speeches  and  the  lodges  he  or- 
ganized had  driven  the  saloons  out  of  many  towns 
and  some  counties. 


206  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

Colonel  vSobieski  had  the  honor  of  being  Grand 
Treasurer  of  our  Grand  Lodge,  was  twice  Grand 
Counselor  and  represented  this  Grand  Lodge  in 
the  Supreme  Lodge.  This  is  something  of  his 
work.  I  want  to  say  to  you  that  he  has  spoken 
in  every  state  and  territory  in  the  nation.  He 
has  organized  more  Good  Templar  Lodges  than 
any  man  in  the  world  during  our  fifty-four  years 
of  Good  Templar  history.  He  has  organized 
2000  lodges.  One  hundred  thousand  men  and 
women  and  boys  and  girls  have  received  the 
obligation  from  him.  Such  a  record  as  that  a 
man  ought  to  be  as  proud  of  as  to  be  president 
of  the  United  States.  He  is  still  a  young  man, 
looks  as  young  as  he  did  thirty  years  ago.  While 
he  is  still  young  in  this  work  it  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  probably  no  man  on  this  continent 
has  had  such  a  wide  influence  in  promoting  the 
Independent  Order  of  Good  Templars  and  all 
other  temperance  organizations  for  he  has  worked 
with  and.  for  them  all.  He  has  worked  with 
anybody  and  for  anybody  that  stood  against  the 
saloons  and  worked  for  temperance  and  total 
abstinence.  He  was  a  pioneer.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  legislature  in  Minnesota  and  intro- 
duced three  bills,  one  in  favor  of  woman  suffrage, 
the  first  one  to  be  introduced  in  the  northwest. 
That  received  one  vote  in  the  house,  He  intro- 
duced one  for  the  abolition  of  capital  punishment. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  207 

That  got  three  votes.  He  also  introduced  one 
for  prohibition  which  didn't  pass.  We  wish  him 
God-speed  in  his  work.  We  expect  he  is  good 
for  at  least  thirty  years  of  Good  Templar  work, 
and  long  before  that  the  saloons  shall  have  been 
banished  from  America. 

ADDRESS    BY    ELLA    S.    STEWART 

I  think  that  I  can  claim  a  somewhat  special 
and  unique  interest  in  this  hour's  celebration 
because  like  Colonel  Sobieski  and  Washington, 
I  also  arrived  on  the  22nd  of  February,  and  this 
coincidence,  while  of  no  general  interest,  is  of 
keen  significance  to  me.  My  birthdays  have 
always  been  hallowed  by  the  memory  of  our 
greatest  national  hero,  and  hereafter  they  will 
have  an  additional  flavor  when  I  recall  that  on 
this  day  in  1855  there  arrived,  unobtrusively,  in 
this  country  one  of  the  true  nobility  of  earth  who 
adopted  it  and  has  served  it  so  devotedly.  I 
think  I  never  met  a  man  whose  life  has  been  of 
so  much  inspiration  to  me  as  that  of  Colonel 
Sobieski.  Mr.  Stewart  and  I  both  prize  his 
friendship  as  one  of  our  most  valuable  assets. 
Our  home  has  been  hallowed  by  his  visits  and  our 
meetings  have  always  been  keenly  anticipated 
and  remembered.  Colonel  Sobieski' s  character 
is  so  iich  and  varied  that  it  would  take  many 
hours  such  as  this  to  form  an  analysis  and  review 


208  I,lfe  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

of  it  so  I  will  simply  mention  one  or  two  phases 
which  have  most  strongly  impressed  me.  The 
first  is  his  patriotism.  The  blood  of  ancient 
heroes  and  conquerors  flows  in  his  veins,  and  the 
holy  zeal  and  devotion  which  prompted  his  an- 
cestors to  devote  their  lives  to  the  interests  of 
Poland  have  impelled  him  to  devote  his  time  and 
best  interests  to  the  true  welfare  of  America,  the 
country  of  his  adoption.  I  noticed  that  some 
minister  in  a  sermon  last  Sunday  in  this  city, 
called  attention  to  an  incident  in  the  life  of  Wash- 
ington which  he  said  was  unparalleled  in  that 
of  any  other  American  citizen  when  he  refused 
the  salary  of  $6000  that  had  been  voted  to  him 
by  Congress.  But  this  lofty  conception  of  service 
of  country  without  any  mercenary  motive  has 
been  shown  also  by  Colonel  Sobieski.  The  first 
ten  years  of  his  life  in  America  he  gave  to  her 
army,  serving  through  the  civil  war.  He  wears 
the  scars  of  a  bullet  that  passed  through  his  body 
at  Gettysburg  making  a  wound  from  which  he 
suffered  for  many  years.  He  is  richly  entitled 
to  a  pension  but  he  has  steadfastly  refused  to 
apply  for  one.  When  the  Civil  War  was  over 
he  went  to  Mexico  and  enlisted  in  the  army  to 
aid  that  struggling  republic  to  repel  her  invaders. 
When  this  task  was  accomplished  the  Mexican 
government  voted  him  citizenship  in  the  republic 
and  a  grant  of  10,000  acres  of  land  but  he  refused 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  209 

to  accept  any  compensation  whatever.  His  ser- 
vices were  offered  to  both  of  these  governments 
from  the  very  highest  motives — a  true  love  of 
liberty.  For  twelve  years  he  was  a  brave  soldier. 
But  that  is  not  all.  All  these  years  since  he  has 
been  constantly  and  actively  serving  his  country, 
and  I  want  to  say  that  the  life  of  Colonel  Sobieski, 
as  an  American  citizen,  during  these  years  of 
peace  has  been  lived  in  such  a  way  that  if  he  had 
never  worn  the  uniform  of  a  soldier  he  still  could 
say  with  the  German  poet,  Heine,  "Lay  a  sword 
upon  my  coffin,  for  I  was  a  valiant  soldier  in  the 
war  for  the  liberation  of  humanity." 

This  later  warfare  which  he  has  waged  during 
years  spent  in  the  quiet  walks  of  citizenship  and 
these  later  battles  have  called  for  a  higher  type 
of  courage  than  that  required  of  him  as  a  good 
soldier.  There  are  millions  of  men,  of  all  national- 
ities and  ages  who  have  shared  with  Colonel 
Sobieski  this  physical  courage.  Nations  have 
never  called  in  vain  for  warriors  but  the  vast 
majorities  of  those  who  have  answered  these 
calls  would  be  utterly  unable  to  comprehend  the 
higher  patriotism  which  has  impelled  him  to 
.fight  these  battles  for  a  better  civilization.  Many 
men  volunteer  for  war.  They  are  eager  for  battles, 
with  all  their  possibilities  of  suffering  and  death. 
They  rush  out  upon  an  enemy  without  any  symp- 
tom of  alarm  but  most  of  them  would  show  the 


2io  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

white  feather  if  called  upon  to  champion  and 
defend  an  unpopular  cause.  They  turn  their 
backs  when  a  hard  moral  duty  confronts  them. 
It  is  easier  to  face  shot  and  shell  on  the  field  of 
battle  with  thousands  of  comrades  at  hand  than 
to  stand  alone  and  face  scorn  and  ridicule  and  to 
bear  the  banner  of  a  weak  and  despised,  though 
righteous  reform.  This  Colonel  Sobieski  has  done 
and  I  imagine  he  would  say  that  it  took  more 
courage  to  stand,  as  Mr.  Chafin  has  mentioned 
alone  in  the  legislature  of  Minnesota,  a  year  after 
his  retirement  from  the  army,  when  he  was  only 
twenty-five  years  old  and  champion  prohibition 
in  America,  the  abolition  of  capital  punishment 
and  the  enfranchisement  of  woman  than  to  be 
under  fire  on  a  field  of  battle.  So  these  later 
years  of  his  service  for  America  have  been  the 
best.  He  has  been  fighting  for  civic  righteous- 
ness; for  purer  laws;  for  the  American  home. 
His  battles  have  been  to  redeem  men  from  their 
depravity ;  to  redeem  helpless  women  and  children 
from  their  misery  and  to  redeem  our  nation  from 
the  corruption  and  decay  which  always  follow 
legalized  sin  and  governmental  iniquity. 

There  are  so  many  other  characteristics  of 
this  man  that  I  love  and  admire,  so  many  beauti- 
ful personal  qualities  that  I  would  delight  to 
speak  of  his  generosity,  his  unselfishness,  his 
patriotism,  his  loyalty,  his  devotion  to  truth, 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  2 1 1 

his  loyalty  to  his  friends,  his  willingness  to  believe 
in  the  highest  motives  of  people  rather  than  the 
lowest,  his  openmindedness,  his  optimism  and 
his  soul  aglow  with  enthusiasm  for  all  that  is 
noble  and  good.  Truly  one  might  use  Brownings 
words  of  him  and  say  that  he  is 

"One  who  never  turned  his  back,  but  marched 
breast  forward : 

Never  doubted  clouds  would  break; 

Never   dreamed   though   Right   were   worsted 

Wrong  would  triumph." 

I  am  proud  to  clasp  his  hand,  to  thank  him 
for  all  he  has  given  to  me  of  inspiration  and  to 
wish  him  many  happy  returns  of  this  day. 

ADDRESS     BY    JOHN    H.    HILL 

Friends,  I  am  very  happy  indeed  to  drop  into 
this  meeting  today  and  have  a  word  with  these 
others  in  congratulation  to  Colonel  Sobieski  and 
to  you  and  I  wrho  have  benefited  by  the  influence 
of  his  life.  I  represent  probably,  today,  the  crowd 
that  do  not  recall  the  kind  of  weather  on  the  day 
the  Colonel  landed  in  this  country,  but  who  are, 
nevertheless,  very  glad  that  he  did  land  and  who 
have  knowledge  of  his  having  ''landed"  many 
times  since. 

It  was  twenty  years  ago  that  I  met  Colonel 
Sobieski  back  in  my  home  town,  a  county  seat 
in  Central  Illinois.  I  was  then  a  high  school  boy, 


212  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

a  member  of  the  Good  Templar  lodge  in  that  town. 
The  Colonel  came  to  give  us  a  lecture  and  help 
us  in  our  work.  It  has  been  a  pleasure  to  have 
met  and  heard  him  frequently  since  that  time, 
to  have  shared  the  inspiration  of  his  life  and  work 
and  to  have  counted  him  as  a  friend.  Of  the 
characteristics  of  Colonel  Sobieski  that  I  should 
like  to  mention  today,  I  have  only  time  to  mention 
one.  In  the  line  of  the  temperance  reform  where 
we  have  best  known  him,  he  has  always  been 
faithful.  Now  I  couldn't  say  anything  more  of 
anyone  than  that  the  one  had  been  faithful  to 
duty.  How  much  we  need  for  people  to  be  faith- 
ful and  constant  and  true,  that  you  may  know 
the  next  year  and  the  year  after  you  will  find 
them  the  same.  What  if  we  could  have  gathered 
together  all  those  who  at  some  time  have  been 
interested  in  our  great  reform. 

Some  of  our  brilliant  leaders  of  the  reform 
have  suddenly  found  a  supposed  "twenty-four 
hour  solution  of  the  problem"  or  have  discovered 
some  question  of  such  momentous  public  im- 
portance, that  they  have  left  the  temperance 
movement  on  some  tangent,  and  the  reform  has 
lost  the  influence  of  what  their  efforts  might 
have  accomplished.  But  Colonel  Sobieski  has 
never  dropped  out — he  has  never  "let  down," 
and  while  others  have  chosen  to  follow  the  light 
of  some  meteor  or  comet,  he  has  always  set  his 


lyife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  213 

course  by  the  light  of  the  old  North  Star,   and 
friends,   I    can    say    nothing    better  than    this— 
he  has    always     been    faithful     and    loyal     and 
true. 

Do  you  know,  as  I  have  been  thinking  of 
his  life  and  I  have  heard  these  expressions  that 
have  been  given  from  this  platform  today,  I 
am  more  than  ever  convinced  that  life  is  really 
worth  living — that  is — if  it  is  that  kind  of  a  life. 
We  cannot  sit  down  and  figure  out  the  far  reach- 
ing influence  of  an  actively  good  life,  and  Colonel 
Sobieski  will  never  know  the  good  he  has  done 
until  he  stands  before  "the  King  in  His  Beauty." 
I  congratulate  Colonel  Sobieski  today  that  he 
has  run  his  race  of  life  so  wrell.  I  congratulate 
all  of  us  who  have  known  him  and  loved  him. 
may  we  all  catch  the  spirit  of  this  occasion  and 
renew  our  mutual  pledge  of  loyalty,  consecration 
and  effort  and  help  to  bring  in  "His  Kingdom  on 
the  Earth." 

REMARKS    MADE     BY    MRS.     MATILDA    B.     CARSE 
IN    INTRODUCING    COL.    JOHN    SOBIESKI 

Dear  Friends:  I  am  indeed  glad,  happy  and 
proud  to  welcome  to  this  platform  one  who  ar- 
rived on  our  shores  fifty  years  ago  today,  Colonel 
Sobieski. 

We  are  glad,  Colonel,  to  welcome  you  to  this 
Hall  so  much  beloved  by  Frances  Willard  and 


214  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

named    after    her.       She  was  your  loyal  friend. 

As  I  turn  back  memory's  pages  to  those  days 
in  my  early  womanhood  when  I  first,  became  a 
worker  in  the  temperance  reform  and  for  the  first 
time  met  you,  your  face  rises  before  me,  handsome 
benign  and  sweet — much  the  same  as  today- 
only  it  is  more  enriched  with  that  soul  beauty 
which  comes  in  life's  afternoon  when  our  days 
have  been  spent  as  yours  have  been,  for  the  good 
of  mankind. 

Colonel  Sobieski  has  proved  himself  a  kingly 
soldier,  brave  and  magnanimous,  fighting  only 
in  defense  of  -  righteousness  and  in  behalf  of  the 
weak  and  oppressed.  He  is  a  worthy  descendant 
of  a  noble  sire,  John  III,  King  of  Poland.  For 
five  years  Colonel  Sobieski  bravely  fought  to 
defend  the  stars  and  stripes  and  then  when  he 
heard  the  cry  of  distress  from  the  young  republic 
of  Mexico,  he  hastened  to  its  defense  without  the 
hope  of  any  emolument.  He  had  a  noble  mother, 
and  I  hope  he  will  tell  you  today  about  that 
mother  and  how  her  brave,  unselfish  life  and 
dying  request  influenced  his  character  and  made 
him  the  man  he  is. 

What  a  blessing  it  is  to  any  mother  to  have 
such  a  son!  He  has  not  secured  what  most  men 
consider  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world,  money, 
and  he  will  not  be  counted  among  the  great  multi- 
millionaires of  his  time,  but  he  has  secured  far 


L/ife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  215 

higher  honors,  he  has  saved  souls  from  going  to 
destruction  and  has  won,  as  we  have  heard  here 
today,  more  than  J 00, 000  men  and  women  to 
join  the  Good  Templars,  besides  a  great  host  out- 
side of  these  he  has  won  to  temperance.  He  has 
returned  many  to  righteousness  and  he  will  shine 
as  a  star  forever  and  ever. 

I  am  sure  that  your  are  anxious  to  hear  from 
this  man  that  we  have  gathered  here  to  honor 
and  I  will  not  detain  you  longer,  only  to  say  that 
the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  from 
Miss  Willard  to  the  humblest  member  have  honored 
and  loved  Colonel  Sobieski  for  his  heroic  life, 
not  only  on  the  battle  field  in  defense  of  right, 
but  on  the  platform  in  the  defense  of  the  home 
against  the  saloon.  We  are  glad  to  see  him  here 
today  among  us,  so  fresh  and  young  looking,  and 
I  welcome  him  heartily  to  this  platform  as  a 
Patriot,  a  soldier  and  statesman,  but  above  all, 
as  a  lover  of  his  kind. 

RESPONSE    BY    COLONEL    JOHN    SOBTESKI 

Friends,  of  course  I  am  glad  to  be  here  today, 
and  I  hardly  know  what  I  can  say  after  listening 
to  all  these  words  of  praise  by  my  friends.  I 
am  awful  glad  I  am  not  dead.  .  At  one  of  our 
Chautauqua  Assemblies  a  couple  of  years  ago  a 
distinguished  lecturer  of  the  South  lectured  on 
'Taffy  and  Epitaphy"  and  said  we  should  say 


216  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

the  nice  things  of  our  friends  before  their  death 
instead  of  an  epitaph  after  they  are  dead. 

These  pleasant  words  that  have  come  this 
afternoon  from  my  friends  have  made  a  profound 
impression  upon  me.  They  have  spoken  words 
which  I  shall  cherish  the  remaining  days  of  my 
life.  To  be  loved  and  esteemed  by  those  whom 
I  have  all  these  days  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder 
in  this  great  battle  for  our  deepest  and  truest 
interests,  is  certainly  all  the  compensation  I 
could  ask. 

Fifty  years  ago  today  I  landed  in  New  York 
and  little  did  I  think  at  that  time  that  in  fifty 
years  from  then  I  would  be  in  a  meeting  like 
this.  Fifty  years  ago  I  landed  in  America  about 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  I  was  between 
twelve  and  thirteen  years  old,  large  for  my  age, 
I  had  black  curly  hair,  large  brown  eyes,  chubby 
dimpled  cheeks.  I  landed  upon  the  shores  of 
America  with  my  eyes  wide  open.  The  ship  was 
covered  with  flags  and  bands  playing  but  I  was 
never  conceited  and  I  knew  it  wasn't  for  me. 
Perhaps  many  of  you  know  something  of  my 
early  history,  of  my  father  who  commanded  the 
uprising  for  liberty  of  Poland,  and  as  stated  here 
today,  I  left  my  native  land  a  boy  five  years  of 
age.  As  I  have  been  requested  to  give  the  reason 
that  led  me  to  become  a  temperance  man  and  the 
circumstances,  I  will  do  so.  I  had  not  seen  my 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  217 

mother  for  six  months  until  the  day  of  her  death. 
I  had  only  seen  my  father  once  that  I  can  remem- 
ber and  that  was  in  a  dark,  awful  dungeon  where 
he  had  been  for  twelve  months.  So  my  mother 
had  been  my  constant  companion  and  when  I 
went  to  that  room  so  still  and  silent,  and  as  I 
laid  down  at  her  side  with  her  face  so  white- 
she  was  only  twenty-nine  years  of  age  but  her 
hair  was  as  white  as  snow.  Her  husband  and 
father  and  two  brothers  had  been  executed  at 
the  same  time  and  a  sister  exiled  to  Siberia.  I 
remember  as  I  lay  down  beside  her  she  said  to  me, 
"I  am  going  away  to  join  your  father  in  another 
land  and  I  shall  leave  you  all  alone  in  the  world. 
Promise  me  that  you  will  ever  cherish  the  cause 
for  which  your  father  died,  that  you  will  fight 
for  any  land,  any  nationality  or  any  race  that  is 
struggling  for  liberty,  and  further  promise  me 
that  you  will  never  take  the  name  of  Him  in  vain 
whom  I  shall  pray  may  have  your  guidance."  I 
promised  her  that  I  never  would  take  intoxi- 
cating liquors  and  that  I  would  never  post  the 
gaming  table.  I  didn't  know  what  these  things 
meant,  but  I  did  afterwards.  With  a  kiss  that 
she  sealed  upon  my  lips  I  was  taken  away,  and 
in  a  single  hour  she  had  joined  my  father.  Though 
more  than  fifty  years  have  passed  since  then, 
though  I  have  done  other  things  that  I  would 
undo  if  I  could,  yet  believing  as  I  do  in  the  pres- 


218  I^ife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

ence  of  my  spirit  mother,  I  can  say  that  those 
promises  I  made  to  her  have  never  in  the  least 
degree  been  violated.  That  pledge  which  she 
took  from  me  has  proved  the  boon  of  my  life. 
Though  she  left  me  in  a  land  of  strangers,  a  boy 
homeless  and  penniless,  yet  with  that  pledge  an 
promise  it  was  of  more  value  to  me  than  though 
she  had  left  me  a  million  dollars  without  that 
pledge.  A  few  years  after  found  me  in  America, 
twelve  years  of  age  and  shortly  after  I  entered 
the  army  as  a  soldier  and  musician.  How  many 
times  I  was  asked  to  drink,  but  those  last  words 
of  my  mother,  "never  as  long  as  you  cherish  the 
memory  of  your  mother  must  you  drink  intoxi- 
cating liquors"  amid  all  these  temptations,  that 
memory  made  me  as  strong  as  a  man  to  overcome 
the  temptation. 

As  my  friend,  Mrs.  Carse  spoke  about  my 
mother,  I  wish  to  speak  of  one  instance  alone— 
when  we  were  taken  in  the  presence  of  the  Grand 
Duke  Const  ant  ine  the  day  before  my  father's 
execution.  He  was  the  brother  of  the  Emperor 
and  the  great  uncle  of  the  present  Emperor  of 
Russia.  He  informed  my  mother  that  he  was 
authorized  by  the  Emperor  to  make  her  this 
proposition,  that  if  she  would  consent  to  have 
her  boy  taken  from  her  that  day  and  conveyed 
to  a  school  under  the  management  of  the  Greek 
church,  and  be  educated  in  the  faith  of  that  church, 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  219 

in  other  words,  educated  to  be  a  Russian  instead 
of  a  Pole,  if  she  would  consent  to  this,  then  she 
could  return  to  her  estate  and  enjoy  it  until  her 
son  arrived  at  his  majority,  but  if  she  refused,  then 
the  same  day  that  her  husband  would  be  executed 
that  she  should  be  banished  from  Poland  upon 
the  penalty  of  death  if  she  or  any  of  her  descend- 
ants thereafter  ever  returned  to  any  territory 
over  which  Russia  ruled.  The  answer  of  my 
mother  was  that  of  a  spirited  patriotic  Polish 
woman  when  she  said:  "Sir,  you  can  take  from 
us  our  estate,  you  can  take  from  us  all  that  wre 
possess  and  I  may  be  compelled  homeless  and 
penniless  in  a  land  of  strangers  to  beg  bread  from 
door  to  door,  but  I  will  teach  my  son  he  is  a  Pole 
and  to  hate  with  an  undying  hatred  that  nation 
and  sovereign  that  murdered  his  father,  deso- 
lated his  native  country  and  sent  him  into  ban- 
ishment." 

Coming  to  America  as  I  did,  I  entered  the  army 
which  I  served  for  ten  years,  going  to  Mexico 
and  serving  in  that  republic  and  then  to  the 
United  States. 

Shortly  after  I  found  myself  in  a  temperance 
meeting.  Just  as  soon  as  I  got  in  that  meeting 
I  knew  I  had  struck  my  crowd.  When  they  first 
talked  about  the  prohibition  of  the  liquor  traffic. 
I  was  warmly  opposed  to  it.  I  thought  it  was 
in  some  way  curtailing  liberty.  I  could  not 


220  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

reconcile  myself  to  that.  Now  you  know  the 
Methodists  can  always  tell  the  time  and  place 
where  they  were  converted,  so  can  I  and  it  was 
my  old  friend  Dr.  Satterlee  who  was  the  means 
of  my  conversion.  I  went  to  his  church  one  night 
to  lecture  and  took  special  pains  to  tell  that  I 
was  not  a  Prohibitionist.  I  remember  that  when 
I  sat  down  that  the  minister  arose  and  said  that 
he  should  certainly  have  to  protest  against  that 
part  of  the  speaker's  address  where  he  spoke  about 
the  prohibition  of  the  liquor  traffic.  He  said, 
"I. believe  it  to  be  just  as  wrong  to  license  the 
traffic  as  the  drink  habit  itself."  When  we  were 
going  out  he  reached  out  his  hand  and  said  that 
he  hoped  God  would  open  my  eyes  and  that  I 
would  see  the  error  of  my  ways.  I  thanked  him 
and  told  him  if  I  was  wrong  I  wanted  to  be  put 
right.  The  next  morning  as  I  was  going  out  of 
town,  (they  had  the  saloons  all  on  one  street 
leading  down  to  the  depot )  a  big  son  of  Germany 
as  soon  as  he  saw  me,  stepped  out  from  in  front 
of  a  saloon  and  extended  his  hand  and  I  put  my 
hand  in  that  great  soft  one,  and  said  "I  heard 
how  you  downed  that  preacher  last  night.  That 
preacher  does  us  more  trouble  than  all  the  preach- 
ers in  our  town.  Mine  friend,  won't  you  come 
in  and  have  a  glass  of  beer  mit  me?"  I  dropped 
that  hand  very  suddenly  and  I  wrote  back  to 
my  friend  Satterlee  that  he  needn't  pray  for  me 
any  more.  I  had  got  there. 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  221 

It  has  been  a  matter  of  precious  memory  to 
me  the  splendid  men  and  women  whom  I  have 
met  in  this  reform,  nearly  all  of  them  gone  now. 
I  remember  when  I  entered  the  field  that  Judge 
James  Black,  of  Pennsylvania,  Samuel  D.  Has- 
tings, of  Wisconsin,  Wm.  Ross,  of  Illinois,  and 
that  chivalrous,  handsome  man,  John  B.  Finch, 
who  died  altogether  too  young,  were  the  leaders 
of  the  host.  They  are  all  gone.  Later  I  re- 
member the  splendid  women  that  arose  after  the 
crusade.  There  was  one  that  I  remember  hav- 
ing met  thirty  years  ago.  She  is  present  in  this 
hall  today,  known  to  us  all,  a  woman  of  great 
energy,  push  and  enterprise  whose  brain  conceived 
this  magnificent  building  where  this  meeting  is 
being  held  today.  I  have  watched  with  the  deep- 
est of  interest  and  sympathy  her  noble  struggle 
to  see  it  cleared  from  debt  and  become  what  is 
her  fond  hope,  that  it  should  be  the  rallying  place 
of  the  temperance  host  of  our  country.  I  be- 
lieve she  will  succeed,  I  do  not  believe  she  can 
possibly  fail,  that  God  will  give  her  the  victory. 

I  remember  well  Frances  Willard  whom  I 
met  for  the  first  time  here  in  this  city,  as  she  was 
Secretary  of  the  National  Prohibition  Convention. 
That  began  our  acquaintance  and  it  has  kept  on 
all  these  years.  Sometimes  we  think  the  life 
of  the  reformer  is  hard.  I  know  I  have  felt  so 
sometimes  myself.  We  feel  that  we  do  not  have 


222  lyife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

the  sympathy  and  support  that  we  should  have 
from  those  that  ought  to  sympathize  with  us, 
at  times  when  it  seemed  the  whole  church  and 
the  whole  world  was  either  opposed  or  indifferent. 
But  I  shall  never  forget  the  morning  that  the 
remains  of  Frances  Willard  were  received  in  this 
city.  I  had  the  sad  honor  of  being  one  of  her  pall- 
bearers. When  I  went  down  to  the  Twelfth 
Street  Depot  to  meet  her  remains  with  the  other 
gentlemen  wrho  had  been  selected  with  me  as 
pallbearers,  it  was  a  bleak,  cold,  bitter  day, 
the  thermometer  way  below  zero,  yet  I  found 
2000  people  there  waiting  with  sorrowful  faces 
to  receive  the  noble  dead.  When  we  conveyed 
her  to  Willard  Hall  where  she  was  to  lie  in  state,, 
thousands  had  already  gathered  before  the  Hall 
waiting  for  the  door  to  be  open,  and  when  the 
hour  came  then  the  doors  were  opened  and  the 
procession  began,  tramp,  tramp,  tramp  for  six 
hours  until  40,000  people  had  passed  and,  when 
the  door  closed  at  four  o'clock  the  crowd  in  front 
of  the  Hall  had  not  been  perceptibly  diminished. 
Though  this  great  woman  had  never  held  an 
office,  though  she  died  comparatively  speaking, 
in  poverty,  yet  the  love  and  affection  that 
was  shown  to  her  taught  me  that  down  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people  there  was  always  an  appre- 
ciation for  our  wrork  and  devotion.  A  few  weeks 
ago  I  was  in  Statuary  Hall  at  our  National  Cap- 
itol. As  I  walked  about  it  and  saw  the  statues 


Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski  223 

which  had  been  placed  there  by  the  different 
states,  Massachusetts  had  placed  there  the  statue 
of  John  Hancock  and  Samuel  Adams;  Pennsyl- 
vania, Benjamin  Franklin  and  Robert  Morris; 
Ohio,  James  A.  Garfield  and  Governor  Wm.  Allen; 
Indiana,  her  two  great  Governors.  Morton  and 
Hendricks,  and  when  Illinois  came  to  select  one 
of  her  statues  to  be  placed  in  that  Hall,  and 
certainly  no  state  was  richer  in  mighty  charac- 
ters than  Illinois,  there  was  her  Lincoln,  her 
Douglas,  her  Trumbull,  her  Logan  and  yet  by 
a  unanimous  vote  of  both  branches  of  the  legis- 
lature they  declared  Frances  Willard  was  their 
choice  as  their  most  gifted  citizen  and  that  her 
statue  should  have  a  place  in  that  pantheon  of 
the  nation.  All  honor  to  this  grand  old  com- 
monwealth for  her  tribute  to  this  noblest  and 
mightiest  and  yet  most  gentle  of  all  of  her  citi- 
zens. But  I  must  close  my  address.  I  appeal 
to  you  young  gentlemen  present  to  rally  to  the 
standard  of  temperance  and  help  by  your  in- 
fluence and  power  in  the  mighty  work  of  rescuing 
the  land.  As  one  of  America's  greatest  sons  said 
to  a  young  man  who  came  to  him  and  asked  him 
how  he  could  best  serve  his  time  and  generation, 
he  said:  "Find  a  worthy  but  unpopular  cause 
and  identify  yourself  with  it  and  you  will  become 
like  unto  God.  Here  is  your  opportunity  young 
gentlemen.  Don't  miss  it.  Join  with  us,  for 
ultimately  we  shall  win  the  victory." 


224  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski 

LETTER  FROM  HON.  WM.  E.  MASON. 

Chicago,   Feb.   16,   1905. 
Mr.    George  M.    Bassett, 

Chairman    of    the    Committee    on    Arrangements. 

I  am  greatly  disappointed  and  more  than  sorry  that  I  cannot 
be  present  to  tender  my  congratulations  to  Col.  John  Sobieski 
on  the  event  of  his  50th  anniversary  as  an  American. 

I  have  known  him  for  years,  but  within  the  last  years  have 
become  more  intimately  acquainted  with  him  and  from  what  I 
know  of  him  there  is  no  living  man  whom  I  would  more  delight 
to  honor  than  I  would  John  Sobieski. 

Born  in  the  very  bitterest  storm  of  life,  his  father  and  mother 
before  him  felt  the  cruel  oppression  of  those  who  wished  to  govern 
others  without  the  consent  of  the  others.  His  father  was  executed 
and  his  mother  with  her  young  boy  driven  to  banishment  worse 
than  execution,  robbed  and  murdered  by  the  cruel  conduct  of  the 
Russian  Government.  A  stowaway  he  became  in  order  to  become 
an  American  citizen,  and  having  learned  when  he  was  ten  or  twelve 
years  of  age  from  an  old  Polish  Soldier  how  to  blow  a  bugle,  he 
became  a  soldier  of  our  republic.  For  ten  years,  entirely  through 
the  civil  war,  he  served  our  country  and  our  flag.  After  that 
he  joined  the  Army  of  the  Republic  in  Mexico.  He  went  hungry 
and  almost  naked  and  fought  for  the  right  of  self-government  there. 

I  particularly  want  to  praise  him  for  this  not  only  that  he 
has  fought  for  liberty;  that  he  has  observed  mankind's  unkind- 
ness  to  mankind,  but  through  it  all  he  comes  out  in  the  afternoon 
of  his  life  smiling  and  sunny  without  an  unkind  feeling  towards 
any  one  of  God's  creatures. 

Once  when  he  was  wounded  dangerously,  the  surgeon  told 
him  to  make  his  peace  with  God.  He  said  in  soldier  language 
"I  have  never  fussed  any  with  God"  and  he  never  has.  I  said 
he  had  reached  the  afternoon  of  his  life.  May  it  be  a  long  and 
pleasant  afternoon;  may  the  twilight  be  along  time  coming.  For 
a  man  like  him  there  will  be  no  night  because  he  is  without  fear. 
He  has  the  faith  that  makes  people  unafraid.  He  will  not  be 
afraid  to  meet  his  Master  face  to  face,  but  again  I  say,  may  the 
twilight  of  his  life  be  a  long  time  coming,  that  the  young  men  and 
women  of  America  may  have  the  benefit  of  his  fight  for  what  is 
right  and  the  presence  of  his  life  an  example. 

I   am,   with  very  great  respect,  Your  friend, 

WM.  E.  MASON. 


Col.  Frank  J.  Sibley. 


ife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  225 

LETTER  FROM   REV.  J.  G.   EVANS,   DD.  LL.,  D. 

Kankakee,   111.,   Feb.  20,    1905. 

Dear  Bro.  Bassett: — Forty  years  ago,  in  Dwight,  Illinois, 
I  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Col.  John  Sobieski.  Since  then 
we  have  met  often,  and  the  passing  years  have  increased  my  ap- 
preciation of  that  stalwart  defender  of  the  prohibition  faith.  In 
all  these  forty  years  I  have  never  known  him  to  falter,  or  to  give 
an  uncertain  sound.  He  has  never  had  any  sympathy  with  any 
kind  of  compromise  with  wrong  nor  shown  any  disposition  to  be 
silent  because  majorities  were  against  the  right.  He  is  worthy 
of  all  honor. 

Yours  truly, 

J.    G.    EVANS. 

LETTER    FROM    MAE    GUTHRIE    TONGIER. 
Rev.    George    M.    Bassett, 
Chicago,    111. 

Dear  Friend: — I  wish  exceedingly  I  might  be  with  you  at  the 
celebration  of  Col.  Sobieski's  50th  anniversary  in  America,  and 
that  I  might  say  something  worthy  the  day  and  the  man.  But 
the  thought  is  too  large  to  be  borne  by  the  tip  of  a  pen,  and  so  I 
shall  not  attempt.  But  it  was  a  happy  addition  to  our  popula- 
tion, and  to  our  country  and  to  the  cause  of  humanity  when  he 
cast  his  lot  among  us,  and  American  citizenship  has  been  immeas- 
ureably  enriched. 

I  congratulate  Col.  Sobieski  upon  the  battles  he  has  won 
and  also  upon  the  battles  he  has  lost,  those  splendid  bloodless 
conflicts  in  behalf  of  humanity,  battles  which,  though  lost  today, 
will  be  won  tomorrow.  I  congratulate  him  too  upon  his  posses- 
sions— the  acquirement  of  over  a  half  century  of  years. 

Emerson  said  he  owned  the  landscape,  but  Col.  Sobieski  owns 
the  landscape  with  quite  a  patch  of  sky  thrown  in,  where  a  few 
largec  stars  are  always  shining.  And  then  his  folks,  and  when  1 
say  his  folks  I  mean  those  whose  hearts  beat  in  unison  with  his, 
they  are  everywhere.  There  is  not  a  town  of  any  size  between 
the  two  oceans  that  does  not  hold  some  of  his  friends.  They  are 
always  there  waiting  to  welcome  him  with  outstretched  hand,  or 
bid  Godspeed  at  parting. 

MRS.  MAE  GUTHRIE  TONGIER, 

Los    Angeles,   Calif. 


226  lyife  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

LETTER  FROM  ALONZO  E.  WILSON. 

Chicago,   Feb.   27.    1905. 
Rev.  Geo.  M.   Bassett, 

Dear  Sir: — It  was  with  deep  regret  that  I  found  myself  unable 
to  attend  the  Willard  Hall  meeting.  I  have  always  regarded 
Col.  Sobieski  as  one  of  our  most  distinguished  men  and  believe 
that  he  has  accomplished  much  for  prohibition  in  America.  It 
was  providential  that  he  came  here  and  the  prohibitionists  of 
this  country  cannot  show  him  too  much  honor  for  what  he  has 
done  in  educating  the  people  against  the  licensed  liquor  traffic. 
I  trust  he  may  be  spared  for  some  years  yet  that  he  may  see  the 
consummation  of  his  labors  on  behalf  of  this  great  cause. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

ALONZO  E.  WILSON 


FROM    URIAH    COPP. 

Loda,  111.,  Feb.  21,   1905. 
Rev.    Geo.    M.    Bassett, 
Chicago,    111., 

Dear  Sir: — Your  kind  invitation  to  my  family  and  myself 
to  be  present  at  the  reception  to  be  given  Col.  John  Sobieski  by 
his  friends  in  Willard  Hall  Wednesday,  Feb.  22,  has  been  duly 
received. 

I  reply  that  it  would  give  us  very  great  pleasure  to  be  present 
on  that  occasion,  for  Col.  John  Sobieski  is  one  of  our  most  respected 
friends.  We  have  been  intimately  acquainted  with  him  for  many 
years,  and  ever  have  found  him  to  be  true  and  honorable. 

He  is  the  descendant  of  one  of  the  noblest  races,  and  is  the 
embodiment  of  all  their  best  traits.  He  has  spent  his  life  battling 
for  liberty  and  for  the  uplifting  of  humanity.  He  is  and  has  al- 
ways been  the  most  bitter  foe  of  all  tyrants  and  oppressors  and 
the  truest  friend  of  the  oppressed. 

We  heartily  appreciate  these  noble  qualities  and  feel  that 
the  congratulations  of  his  friends  could  not  be  more  worthily  and 
justly  bestowed. 

Yours  truly, 

URIAH  COPP. 


of  Colonel  John  Sobieski.  227 

LETTER  FROM  HON.  DAN.  R.  SHEEN, 
HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES 

Springfield,  111.,  Feb.  20,  1905. 
Rev.   G.   M.   Bassett, 
Chicago,   111. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  am  exceedingly  sorry  that  my  duties  here 
in  the  legislature  will  prevent  my  attending  the  fiftieth  anniver- 
sary of  the  landing  of  Col.  Sobieski  in  this  country.  I  should 
like  so  much  to  join  my  voice  with  many  of  his  other  friends  in 
doing  honors  to  Col.  Sobieski  upon  that  occasion.  It  has  been 
my  good  pleasure  to  have  known  him  for  many  years,  and  have 
ever  known  him  as  a  whole-souled,  genial  champion  of  human 
rights  and  a  foe  of  human  wrongs.  God  grant  that  he  may  see 
a  return  of  many  anniversaries.  Mrs.  Sheen  joins  me  in  con- 
gratulations. 

Yours   truly, 

DAN.  R.  SHEEN. 


LETTER  FROM  JAMES  M.  CAMPBELL 

Lombard,  111.,  Feb.  22,  1905. 
Rev.  George  M.  Bassett, 

Chairman  of    Sobieski    Reception   Committee. 

Dear  Sir: — I  want  to  have  my  unspoken  testimony  added 
to  what  may  be  said  in  a  more  formal  way  at  the  celebration  of 
the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  landing  in  the  United  States  of  our 
friend  Colonel  Sobieski.  I  have  known  him  during  thirty  of  these 
fifty  years.  Occasionally  I  have  lost  sight  of  him  for  a  time, 
but  he  has  a  way  of  coming  again  into  view.  He  is  one  of  those 
kind  of  people  whom  having  once  met,  one  does  not  wish  to  forget. 
Very  few  men  that  I  have  known  have  a  greater  genius  for  friend- 
ship. He  grapples  his  friends  to  him  with  hooks  of  steel,  and 
it  speaks  volumes  for  the  breadth  of  his  sympathies  to  know 
from  what  a  great  variety  of  classes  his  friends  have  been  gathered. 

The  thing  which  has  always  impressed  me  most  in  the  Col- 
onel is  his  innate  modesty.  He  is  never  obtrusive,  and  has  a 
place  in  his  big  heart  for  other  people's  interests,  and  especially 
for  their  troubles.  That  is  why  we  all  like  him,  and  forgetting 
his  royal  birth  speak  of  him  as  John  Sobieski.  He  is  one  of  the 
kind  of  people  to  whom  titles  add  nothing.  He  does  not  need  them. 


228  Life  of  Colonel  John  Sobieski. 

No  man  was  ever  more  democratic,  and  I  believe  that  were  the 
crown  of  Poland  (which  is  his  by  rights )  offered  to  him  on  a  golden 
salver;  he  would  decline  it  with  thanks;  and  would  vote  that 
Poland  should  become  a  Republic — which  God  grant  she  one 
day  may. 

It  was  to  me  a  matter  of  wonder  when  first  I  met  the  Col- 
onel, that  a  man  possessing  such  a  gift  of  leadership,  and  the 
endowments  which  make  for  success  in  public  life,  should  have 
chosen  for  his  career  that  of  a  temperance  reformer.  When  I 
knew  him  better  I  began  to  understand  the  reason.  Within  that 
sphere  he  found  a  place  to  carry  on  the  fight  for  humanity  to  which 
he  had  pledged  himself  to  his  dying  mother.  And  right  nobly 
has  he  carried  out  his  purpose.  With  an  ancient  Roman  he  has 
taken  for  his  motto,  "Whatever  concerns  humanity  concerns 
me,"  and  through  his  touch  of  brotherly  helpfulness  many  strug- 
gling souls  have  been  helped  to  a  better  life. 

For  our  old  friend  and  comrade-in-arms  in  the  best  of  all 
causes  let  me  wish  that  he  may  die  with  his  armor  on.  And  may 
his  last  days  be  the  best.  I  am  glad  of  the  opportunity  of  telling 
him  how  we  have  loved  him  and  respected  him  for  his  sterling 
worth  and  for  his  works  sake.  This  is  better  than  to  have  waited 
until  he  was  dead,  and  strewn  flowers  upon  his  grave. 

Sincerely  yours, 

JAMES  M.  CAMPBELL. 


LETTER  FROM  JASPER  L.  DOUTHIT 

Lithia,  Shelby  County,  111.,  Feb.  21,  1905. 
Col.   John  Sobieski, 

Willard   Hall,    Chicago,    111. 

My  Dear  Noble  Friend: — I  send  most  fraternal  greetings 
and  congratulations  of  myself  and  family  to  you  on  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  your  landing  in  America.  Writh  a  great  multitude 
who  know  you  and  love  you,  I  thank  the  good  God  for  your  long 
and  eminent  service  in  temperance  and  other  needed  reforms. 
Verily,  I  believe  you  have  conferred  more  benefit  upon  all  man- 
kind in  these  fifty  years  of  patriotic  and  philanthropic  labors  than 
you  could  have  done  as  king  of  Poland.  God  bless  you  forever 
and  ever.  Sincerely  yours  always, 

JASPER  L.  DOUTHIT. 
Secretary   of    International    Chautauqua   Alliance. 


Recent  Events  in  my  Family  229 


RECENT  EVENTS  IN  MY  FAMILY 

In  the  early  part  of  the  spring  of  1901  I  made 
up  my  mind  to  reside  in  California.  I  arrived 
in  Los  Angeles  on  the  30th  of  March  where  I  have 
since  lived.  While  I  have  continued  to  lecture 
in  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  more  especially 
in  the  east,  still  my  home  is  in  California  and 
probably  will  so  remain  the  rest  of  my  life. 

On  June  18,  1902,  my  daughter  Mary  was 
wedded  to  Louie  S.  Gilhousen,  the  son  of  W.  H. 
Gilhousen,  an  esteemed  friend  of  mine.  The 
marriage  was  in  every  respect  a  congenial  one. 
Mr.  Gilhousen  is  a  bright,  promising  young  busi- 
ness man,  a  teller  in  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Los  Angeles,  esteemed  and  honored  by  all  who 
know  him.  Their  marriage  has  been  an  exceed- 
ingly happy  one. 

On  October  26,  1906,  there  was  born  to  them 
a  son.  He  was  named  John  Sobieski.  He  is  a 
sturdy,  bright,  healthy  boy  the  pride  of  both 
parents  and  grandparents. 


230        The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 


THE  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  THE 
POLISH  REPUBLIC 

This  is  Colonel  Sobieski's  most  famous  lecture,  in  which  is  told  the  whole  story 
of  his  people's  struggle  for  freedom. 

A  nation,  like  an  individual,  as  soon  as  it  ceases 
to  play  an  important  part  in  the  affairs  of  men,  is 
forgotten.  Take  the  men  who  laid  the  foundation 
of  the  American  Republic,  how  few  of  the  names 
of  the  founders  have  survived  the  century:  Wash- 
ington, Jefferson,  Franklin,  Adams,  and  Hamilton, 
and  that  is  about  all.  Other  men  struggled, 
sacrificed,  and  died,  and  yet  how  strangely  their 
names  would  sound  to  the  average  person  of  this 
generation;  and  'tis  so  with  a  nation. 

A  little  over  a  hundred  years  ago  my  native 
country  was  one  of  the  most  powerful  in  Europe. 
In  population  we  exceeded  all  except  France  and 
Russia.  In  territory  we  exceeded  them  all  except 
Russia.  ,  In  art,  science,  education,  we  were  well 
up  to  the  most  of  them.  In  the  achievement  of 
arms  I  think  we  eclipsed  them  all ;  and  yet  a  little 
more  than  a  century  has  passed  since  she  was  so 
foully  assassinated:  and  how  little  is  the  world's 
knowledge  of  that  once  great  country. 

Not  only  was  Poland  great  in  the  extent  of  her 
territory  and  in  her  achievement  of  arms,  but 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic         231 

was  great  also  in  the  renown  of  her  sons,  and  her 
colleges,  her  universities.  The  University  of  War- 
saw is  one  of  the  oldest  universities  of  Europe, 
and  from  her  halls  there  have  gone  out  to  bless 
the  world  and  to  enlighten  it,  some -of  the  world's 
noblest  men. 

You  can  hardly  think  of  any  department  of 
literature  or  art  and  science  but  what  can  be 
found  in  them  the  graduates  of  Warsaw  University. 
And  the  University  of  Cracow  is  not  less  cele- 
brated. There  went  from  her  halls  of  learning 
one  of  her  sons  who  alone  would  have  made  that 
institution  of  learning,  immortal.  That  man  was 
Nicholas  Copernicus.  He  was  the  discoverer  of 
the  true  system  of  the  universe.  As  one  writer 
has  truly  said  of  him,  "Poland  gave  birth  to  a 
man  who  arrested  the  course  of  the  sun,  and  bid 
the  earth  move."  And,  as  another  poet  has  said 
in  describing  his  achievements: 

'Twas  his  to  point  to  worlds  above  the  skies, 
And  show  creation's  wonders  to  our  eyes. 
The  seed  of  knowledge  and  of  truth  to  sow, 
Science   extend   and  prejudice   overthrow. 
Objects  like  these  inspired  his  native  mind, 
Through  life  pursued  and  but  with  life  resigned. 
These  are  the  wreathes  that  shall  adorn  his  brow, 
Far  brighter  than  laurel's  purest  glow. 
These  are  the  wreathes  that  flourish  undecayed 
While  heroes  share  the  ruin  they  have  made." 


232          The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 

In  this  address  I  shall  only  discourse  upon  her 
history  from  the  time  of  the  republic,  1572.  The 
circumstances  that  caused  the  origin  of  the  repub- 
lic were  these. 

The  Jagellon  dynasty,  which  had  ruled  in  that 
country  for  a  hundred  years,  had  become  extinct. 
Now  it  became  necessary  either  to  found  a  new 
dynasty,  or  to  found  a  new  form  of  government; 
and  the  Polish  people- — and  when  I  say  the  Polish 
people,  I  mean  the  nobility — had  got  a  glimmer,  as 
it  were,  of  popular  government,  but  failed  to  com- 
prehend the  whole  idea.     They  could  not  under- 
stand how  the  rule  of  the  majority  could  be  less 
odious    to   the   ruled   minority,    than    the    single 
despot.     So  they  organized  the  new   government 
upon  the  unit  system.     It  provided  first  that  the 
first  officer  of  the  republic  should  be  styled  a  king, 
yet  they  denied  him  all  kingly  authority.     He  did 
not  possess  one-tenth  of  the  power  that  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  American  Republic  exercises  under 
her  constitution.     He  was  not  much  more  than  the 
chief  marshal  of  the  republic.     Then  he  had  to  be 
chosen  by  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  constituency,  in 
which  every  nobleman  in  the  republic  had  a  voice 
and  a  vote.     A  single  vote  given  adversely  was 
just  as  effective  to  defeat  as    though  every  vote 
in  the  republic  had  been  cast  against  him.     The 
law-making   power   was   vested   in   two   Houses, 
called  the  Diet,  and  every  proposed  enactment  had 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic          233 

to  be  passed  by  a  unanimous  vote ;  and  what  was 
still  more  absurd,  was  what  was  known  as  veto 
libertum,  by  which  at  any  time  during  the  proceed- 
ings-any  single  member  by  quitting  the  body  could 
bring  the  entire  proceedings  to  a  standstill. 

Another  great  defect  of  our  government  was 
our  serfdom.  More  than  two-thirds  of  the  people 
were  serfs.  The  only  difference  between  our  serfs, 
and  the  slaves  of  this  country  of  a  generation  ago, 
was  that  our  slaves  could  be  sold  from  the  auction- 
block,  while  our  serfs  could  not  be  sold.  They 
were  a  part  of  the  realty  itself.  Your  slaves 
belonged  to  a  different  race;  ours  were  our  own 
race — our  own  people— our  own  countrymen. 
And  when  I  look  back  over  the  last  hundred  years 
of  sadness  and  sorrow — that  hundred  years  of 
sorrow  and  sadness  that  is  unspeakable, — and 
when  I  ask,  "Why  all  of  this?"  the  answer  comes 
back,  "It  is  but  the  recompense  for  our  own  sins 
against  our  own  countrymen." 

Now,  having  spoken  of  some  of  the  defects  of 
our  constitution,  I  will  speak  of  some  of  its  virtues. 
It  has  been  supposed  by  the  world  that  religious 
liberty  is  of  quite  recent  origin.  Yet  Poland  put 
in  her  constitution  three  hundred  years  ago  these 
words:  "The  right  to  worship  God  as  one  sees 
fit  and  proper,  shall  never  be  questioned."  Under 
that  provision  Jew  and  Gentile,  Catholic  and 
Protestant,  Mohammedan  and  infidel,  were  at 


234          The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 

perfect  liberty  to  worship  God  as  they  saw  fit  and 
proper. 

Another  article  of  our  constitution  was  just  as 
extraordinary,  considering  the  age  in  which  it  was 
promulgated.  Up  to  a  hundred  years  ago,  nation 
made  war  upon  nation,  often  simply  to  plunder 
each  other — "for  revenue  only;"  yet  Poland  put 
in  her  constitution  three  hundred  years  ago  these 
words:  "The  arms  of  the  republic  shall  never  be 
engaged,  except  for  these  purposes:  in  defense  of 
the  republic,  and  in  defense  of  the  Christian 
religion."  And  in  the  two  hundred  years  that  the 
republic  existed,  this  provision  was  never  violated. 

Now,  having  spoken  of  her  peculiar  institu- 
tions, I  will  proceed  to  speak  of  her  military 
grandeur.  It  had  ever  been  the  dream  of  every 
successor  of  the  great  Mohammed,  that  the  time 
would  come  when  the  Crescent  would  triumph 
everywhere,  and  that  the  religion  of  the  great 
Prophet  would  be  universal.  This  had  led  to 
seven  hundred  years  of  almost  constant  contest 
between  the  followers  of  Jesus,  so  called,  on  one 
side,  and  the  followers  of  Mohammed  on  the  other 
side;  and  Poland,  occupying  the  position  that  she 
did,  ofter  became  the  battle-ground  between  these 
two  contending  faiths.  Poland  stood  like  a  wall 
of  fire  protecting  the  Christian  world  from  the 
swords  of  Mohammedan  fanatics,  who  again  and 
again  sought  to  overwhelm  the  Christian  world. 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic          235 

I  shall  in  this  discourse  speak  only  of  the  last 
great  struggle  that  the  powers  of  Mohammed 
made  to  conquer  Christendom.  This  was  in  1683. 
Hitherto,  in  their  battle  against  Christendom,  they 
had  ever  found  a  united  Christian  world  banded 
against  them.  But  now  all  of  this  was  changed. 
The  Christian  world  had  become  hopelessly  divided 
into  two  hostile  parties,  hating  each  other,  if  pos- 
sible, with  more  bitterness  than  their  ancient 
foe:  the  followers  of  Martin  Luther  on  one  hand, 
and  the  Pope  of  Rome  on  the  other. 

"Now,"  said  Mohammed  the  Fourth,  "Allah 
once  more  smiles  upon  us ;  and  in  my  own  day  we 
are  to  sweep  the  hated  Cross  from  existence,  and 
the  Crescent  shall  wave  at  Rome — shall  wave  the 
world  over." 

So  in  the  spring  of  1683,  with  an  army  vari- 
ously estimated  from  five  to  eight  hundred  thou- 
sand,— I  will  compromise  it,  and  call  it  six  hun- 
dred thousand, — under  the  leadership  of  one  of 
Mohammed's  greatest  favorites,  they  marched 
out  westward  to  what  they  believed  would  be 
their  final  campaign  of  conquest.  Such  was  the 
terror  they  invoked,  that  they  practically  reached 
the  Avails  of  Vienna  unopposed.  When  they 
reached  Hungary  they  were  reinforced  by  fifty 
thousand  brave  Hungarian  troops.  Hungary, 
long  oppressed  by  Austria,  had  been  promised 
her  religious  and  political  liberty  if  she  would  aid 


236        The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 

the  Mohammedan  army.  The  Mohammedan  army 
arrived  at  the  walls  of  Vienna  about  the  first  of 
July.  All  Europe  was  in  consternation  and  alarm. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  a  deputation  of  forty 
German  and  Austrian  noblemen  came  down  to 
the  court  of  our  king,  John  the  Third,  who  is 
known  in  history  as  John  Sobieski,  the  greatest 
warrior  of  his  day,  and  with  the  exception  of 
Napoleon  and  Frederick  the  Great,  the  greatest 
warrior  of  modern  times.  This  delegation  came 
into  his  presence,  bowing  before  him.  and  kissing 
his  garments,  and  addressed  him.  They  spoke 
of  the  battles  he  had  fought  and  the  victories  he 
had  won  when  he  had  been  outnumbered  ten  to 
one.  They  said  they  believed  that  God  had 
raised  him  up  to  succor  Europe.  They  spoke  of 
how  at  that  very  moment  an  army  of  six  hundred 
thousand  Turks  was  battering  down  the  walls  of 
Vienna.  They  closed  by  using  these  words:  "Oh, 
your  Majesty!  come  to  our  rescue,  and  Europe 
will  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  Poland  that  will 
never  be  forgotten." 

How  strangely  sound  those  words  in  review  of 
the  events  a  hundred  years  afterward.  Sobieski 
at  once  ordered  the  assembling  of  his  army.  The 
Polish  army  was  never  a  large  one,  as  the  serfs 
were  not  permitted  to  serve  in  it;  only  the  gentil- 
ity and  the  nobility.  But  while  the  army  was 
small,  it  was  composed  of  the  very  best  material; 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic         237 

hence  its  great  reputation.  When  he  reached  the 
frontier,  Sobieski  was  reinforced  by  thirty  thou- 
sand Germans  under  the  Duke  of  Lorraine.  With 
this  united  army,  now  numbering  seventy  thou- 
sand, they  marched  toward  the  Danube.  They 
expected  that  when  they  reached  the  Danube, 
they  would  find  the  bridge  that  spanned  the  river 
either  destroyed  or  their  passage  disputed.  But, 
to  their  joy,  they  found  neither  to  be  the  case. 

That  is  a  characteristic  of  the  Turk.  I  re- 
member at  the  time  of  the  Turko-Russian  War 
in  1877,  I  used  to  predict  the  certain  triumph  of 
the  Turks.  With  so  much  confidence  I  used  to 
say:  "The  Russian  army  will  never  cross  the 
Danube."  But  when  I  saw  them  crossing  it 
practically  unopposed,  but  steering  toward  the 
Balkans,  I  said:  "Now  I  understand  them;  in- 
stead of  attacking  them  at  the  Danube,  they  will 
attack  them  in  the  Balkans."  So,  with  a  palpi- 
tating heart  I  watched  each  day  the  march  of  the 
Russian  army  into  the  Balkans.  I  said:  "In 
those  narrow  defiles  all  the  wrongs  of  my  native 
country  will  be  wiped  out  in  blood."  But  judge 
my  surprise,  if  you  can, — you  certainly  cannot 
my  chagrin, — when  I  saw  them  entering  those 
defiles,  passing  through  unopposed ;  and  not  until 
they  reached  the  plain  beyond,  where  man  stood 
for  man,  did  they  attack  them  at  all. 

I  have  never  prayed  for  the  Turks  since.     I 


238        The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 

thought  if  a  people  would  not  avail  themselves  of 
strategy  better  than  that,  I  would  not  insult  the 
Almighty  by  asking  him  to  help.  And,  upon  this 
occasion,  had  they  only  destroyed  the  bridge,  or 
had  they  with  a  small  force  opposed  Sobieski's 
passage  of  the  Danube,  they  could  have  delayed 
him  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time  to  have  pre- 
vented the  saving  of  Vienna;  and  had  they  done 
so,  how  different  the  history  of  the  world  would 
read  today. 

On  the  night  of  the  llth  of  September,  So- 
bieski's army  had  arrived  on  the  top  of  Kalem- 
burg  Heights.  The  city  of  Vienna  is  situated  in 
the  valley  of  the  Danube,  that  historic  river  sep- 
arating into  two  branches,  and  reuniting  again 
below  the  city.  Forty-eight  hours  before  the 
arrival  of  Sobieski's  army,  Count  Stahremberg, 
the  commander  of  the  city, — for  the  king  and  court 
had  long  since  deserted  the  city, — announced  to 
his  people  that  unless  help  came  within  forty-eight 
hours  he  would  be  compelled  to  open  negotiations 
for  the  surrender  of  the  city.  In  this  action  he 
was  certainly  justified  by  the  situation.  The 
walls  of  the  city  were  crumbling,  and  starvation 
and  epidemic  prevailed  within  the  city.  The 
conquest  of  a  Christian  city  by  a  Mohammedan 
army  two  hundred  years  ago  meant  that  all  of  the 
strong  men  would  be  taken  away  to  serve  as 
slaves,  and  all  the  beautiful  women  would  be  taken 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic  239 

away  to  grace  the  harems  of  the  Mohammedan 
conquerors. 

The  archbishop  issued  a  proclamation  asking 
the  people  to  come  up  to  the  Cathedral  of  St. 
Stephen  and  devote  the  day  to  prayer.  Said  he 
in  his  proclamation:  "Since  all  earthly  kings 
have  failed  us,  now  let  us  ask  the  King  of  kings 
and  the  Prince  of  princes  to  interpose  in  our  be- 
half." And  all  day  long  the  people  gathered 
round  their  great  cathedral,  inside,  outside,  every- 
where, asking  God's  interposition  in  their  behalf; 
and  when  night  came  the  priests  remained  at  the 
altars,  still  invoking  the  favor  of  Almighty  God. 

Every  morning  for  more  than  three  weeks  a 
man  had  been  sent  to  the  top  of  the  tower  of 
St.  Stephen  to  see  if  there  was  any  appearance  of 
the  army  of  the  rescuers.  But  the  morning  after 
the  day  of  prayer,  the  fateful  morning  of  the  12th 
of  September,  was  the  last  morning.  Now  just  by 
the  wave  of  the  hand  the  fate  of  the  people  would 
be  sealed.  So  warriors  left  their  places  at  the 
bridge,  and  women  left  their  homes,  to  gather 
about  St.  Stephen  to  watch  the  signal  'from  the 
top  of  the  tower. 

The  man  started  out  upon  his  journey  up  the 
tower.  He  must  have  seemed  to  the  people  of 
that  beleaguered  city  like  a  messenger  going  into 
the  presence  of  the  Almighty.  Arriving  at  the 
top  of  the  tower,  before  raising  his  eyes  to  look 


240         The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 

in  the  direction  of  Kalemburg,  he  dropped  his 
head  for  a  moment  in  silent  prayer.  Now,  raising 
his  eyes  and  looking  in  the  direction  of  Mt.  Kal- 
emburg, how  his  heart  must  have  leaped  with 
joy,  for  lo  and  behold!  its  crest  was  all  covered 
with  the  army  of  Sobieski.  With  his  glass  he 
could  easily  discern  the  barred  banner  of  Poland ; 
and  he  waved  back  the  glad  tidings:  ''The  city  is 
saved;  the  King  of  Poland  has  come."  Upon 
that  announcement  the  thousands  who  had  gath- 
ered around  the  cathedral  rent  the  sky  with  their 
shouts  of  joy.  The  glad  warriors  returned  to  the 
bridge  to  continue  their  resistance,  while  mothers 
and  daughters  returned  to  their  homes,  giving 
thanks  to  God  for  his  deliverance  from  their 
terrible  foe. 

But  while  this  feeling  of  exultation  was  going 
on  in  the  city,  quite  different  was  the  feeling  on 
Kalemburg  Heights.  When  the  morning  dawned 
and  the  Christian  army  looked  down  beneath 
them,  what  a  sight  greeted  them! 

Vienna  at  that  time  was  a  city  of  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  population,  nestling 
there  in  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Danube. 
Stretching  out  before  them  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
see,  and  farther,  was  this  magnificent  valley  of  the 
Danube.  In  the  distance  loomed  up  grand  old 
St.  Stephen.  But,  alas!  the  city  was  surrounded, 
and  the  valley  filled  with  six  hundred  thousand 


Mrs.  Charlton  Edholm  Sibley. 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic        241 

warriors.  These  men  were  semi-barbarians:  Tur- 
key, Persia,  Arabia,  and  the  remotest  part  of 
Asia  had  contributed  to  this  army.  Breeches  in 
the  wall,  they  could  see,  had  already  been  made. 
Cheers  and  shouts  of  the  beleaguered  host  could 
be  distinctly  heard.  It  was  indeed  a  sight  most 
appalling  to  all  except  the  stoutest  heart. 

Shortly  after  daylight  the  Duke  of  Lorraine 
came  to  the  camp  of  our  king  and  begged  him  to 
retreat,  declaring  the  Mohammedan  army  would 
devour  our  army,  that  it  would  be  madness  to 
attack  them,  and  it  would  be  courting  destruction. 

The  answer  of  our  king  was:  "I  shall  attack 
them  this  day.  I  know  their  army  is  a  mighty 
one  and  their  leader  is  supposed  to  be  a  man  of 
great  ability;  but  a  leader  who  permitted  us  un- 
opposed to  cross  the  Danube  right  under  his  nose, 
a  soldier  who  has  been  here  for  two  months  and 
has  never  intrenched  himself,  and  who  has  dis- 
posed of  his  army  about  the  city  in  such  utter 
disregard,  has  neither  sense,  prudence,  nor  science. 
It  shows  that  his  reputation  is  greater  than  his 
merits.  I  shall  attack  them  this  day,  and  before 
the  sun  goes  down  that  army  will  be  fleeing  be- 
fore my  face." 

The  duke  returned  to  his  camp,  only  to  return 
an  hour  afterward  with  the  announcement  that 
his  men  had  mutinied,  declaring  that  they  would 
not  be  marched  out  to  a  useless  slaughter,  and 


242         The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 

begged  of  our  king  to  come  down  and  address  his 
soldiers. 

It  is  said  by  the  historians  that  our  king  was 
the  handsomest  man  of  his  day;  and  judging  by 
the  pictures  I  have  seen  of  him,  as  well  as  descrip- 
tions I  have  read,  I  think  this  might  have  been 
the  case.  Something  over  six  feet  tall,  with  a 
high  forehead,  an  abundance  of  black  curly  hair, 
and  large,  flashing  black  eyes,  he  was  indeed  a 
man  of  imposing  appearance.  His  education  was 
complete.  He  could  speak  fluently  every  lan- 
guage of  Europe. 

He  immediately  went  down  to  the  camp  of  the 
Germans  and  addressed  them.  He  said:  ''Soldiers 
of  Germany,  we  are  to  fight  a  battle  to-day,  not 
for  despoliation  or  plunder,  but  a  battle  for  the 
Cross.  While  we  contend  with  an  army  appar- 
ently so  overwhelming  in  numbers,  yet  encamped 
around,  about,  and  above  us  are  the  invisible 
hosts  of  Heaven,  who  will  bring  confusion  to  the 
foe  and  victory  to  our  arms.  This  day,  by  the 
blessing  of  Almighty  God  and  the  Christian's 
Christ  and  Redeemer,  w7e  are  to  crush  yonder 
exultant  foe,  and  write  such  a  page  in  the  world's 
history  that  will  cause  mankind  to  glorify  the 
Cross  in  all  ages  to  come."  And  pointing  to  the 
city,  he  exclaimed:  " While  the  garrison  of  yon- 
der city  is  bravely  defending  it,  the  mothers  and 
daughters  are  engaged  in  prayer  in  our  behalf." 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic        243 

When  he  closed  his  oration  the  sturdy  sons  of 
Germany  shouted:  "Let  the  King  of  Poland 
lead  us:  we'll  follow  him  to  victory  or  to  death." 

Returning  to  his  camp,  he  began  preparation 
for  action.  Mass  was  said,  and  then  it  was  cus- 
tomary in  those  days  to  have  a  battle-cry  to 
shout  on  going  forth  to  battle;  so  our  pious  king 
gave  to  his  men,  these  words  of  the  psalmist: 
"Not  unto  us,  but  unto  Thee  be  the  glory." 

At  eleven  o'clock  they  began  to  descend  into 
the  valley.  At  one  o'clock  they  had  reached  the 
valley,  where  they  met  a  part  of  the  Mohammedan 
army,  which  had  been  sent  to  oppose  their  prog- 
ress; and  after  a  short  engagement  defeated  them, 
and  sent  them  scampering  back  upon  their  main 
lines. 

At  four  o'clock  the  line  of  battle  for  a  general 
engagement  was  formed.  Our  king  placed  the 
German  troops  on  the  right,  giving  them  the  post 
of  honor ;  in  the  centre  he  placed  his  own  infantry ; 
upon  the  left  and  flanking,  his  magnificent  cav- 
alry. This  cavalry  was  a  most  brilliant  body  of 
men :  every  man  of  them  was  a  knight,  commanded 
by  the  king  in  person,  the  most  knightly  man  of 
that  age  or  any  other  age.  Thus,  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  you  have  the  picture. 

September  12th,  1683,  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  these  two  great  systems  of  religion, 
the  followers  of  Jesus  on 'one  hand,  and  the  fol- 


244         The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 

powers  of  Mohammed  on  the  other,  after  seven 
hundred  years  of  almost  constant  conflict,  con- 
fronted each  other  upon  the  field  of  battle  for  the 
last  time  as  foes.  Doubtless  what  assisted  the 
Christian  army  that  day  was  a  peculiar  incident. 
The  Mohammedans  did  not  understand  the  science 
of  astronomy,  and  had  ever  regarded  an  eclipse 
to  be  the  wrath  of  Heaven.  Just  as  the  Christian 
army  moved  forward  to  attack,  a  total  eclipse  of 
the  sun  set  in.  The  presence  of  our  king  had  been 
denied  by  the  Mohammedan  commander  to  his 
men,  for  the  name  of  Poland's  king  was  a  terror 
to  Mohammedans  everywhere.  But  now  when 
he  came  blazing  out  at  the  head  of  his  magnifi- 
cent staff  and  cavalry,  his  presence  could  no 
longer  be  denied.  And  the  word  went  through 
the  Mohammedan  ranks:  "By  Allah,  the  king 
is  with  them." 

"Aye,"  said  the  Kham  of  the  Crimea,  "see 
the  awful  black  spot  is  approaching  the  sun." 

Just  at  that  moment  the  seventy  thousand 
Christian  soldiers  moved  forward  to  attack.  All 
were  shouting:  "Not  unto  us,  not  unto  us,  but 
unto  Thee  be  the  glory."  And  they  fell  upon 
that  army,  eight  times  their  number,  with  the 
power  of  an  avalanche;  and  in  two  hours  time 
they  crushed  it  completely,  scattering  it  like 
chaff  before  the  wind.  The  Mohammedans,  in 
their  dismay,  as  they  fled  left  behind  them  their 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic         245 

camp,  their  equipage,  their  gold,  their  precious 
stones,  their  carriages,  their  chariots,  their  horses 
and  elephants — everything  that  they  had  brought 
with  them  to  make  their  entrance  into  Rome 
brilliant  and  imposing;  never  stopping  until  the 
borders  of  Hungary  were  reached. 

The  next  morning  the  Christian  army  entered 
the  city  through  the  very  gaps  in  the  wall  through 
which  the  Mohammedans  would  have  marched 
that  same  morning,  had  it  not  been  for  the  arrival 
of  Sobieski's  army.  They  marched  to  the  Cath- 
edral of  St.  Stephen,  where  they  all  bowed  in 
prayer.  Then  our  king  entered  the  church  and 
led  in  chanting  the  song  of  victory,  the  Te  Deum. 
The  archbishop  proceeded  to  the  outer  porch  of 
the  cathedral,  wrhere  he  preached  to  two  hundred 
thousand  people  there  gathered,  taking  for  his 
text  these  words:  "There  was  a  man  sent  from 
God,  whose  name  was  John." 

A  hundred  years  passes  away,  when  an  army 
marches  out  from  this  same  city  with  their  faces 
turned  toward  Poland.  Do  they  go  for  the  pur- 
pose of  paying  back  this  debt?  No:  they  go  for 
the  purpose  of  joining  with  the  armies  of  Russia 
and  Prussia  to  wipe  from  the  map  of  the  world 
the  nation  that  had  saved  them.  No  wonder 
that  Voltaire  said  in  speaking  of  it,  that  "God 
only  permitted  the  damning  deed,  that  he  might 
show  to  the  world  what  kings  wrere  made  out  of." 


246         The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 

We  now  pass  on  through  a  hundred  years, 
and  we  come  to  the  event  that  led  to  the  over- 
throw of  the  republic.  The  absurd  constitution 
largely  contributed;  a  weak,  drunken,  dissipating 
king  was  another  contributing  cause;  and,  worst 
of  all,  Frederick  the  Great  was  the  king  of  Prussia. 

I  hardly  know  how  to  speak  of  this  monarch. 
When  I  think  of  his  genius,  I  feel  I  could  almost 
fall  down  and  worship  him.  Greater  than  Napo- 
leon, greater  than  Hannibal,  in  my  opinion,  was 
this  marvelous  man.  We  see  him  when  he  came 
to  the  kingship  of  Prussia,  then  a  little,  insigni- 
ficant power,  and  yet,  when  in  the  Seven  Years' 
War  two-thirds  of  Europe,  numbering  a  hundred 
and  twenty  millions  of  people,  banded  against 
him,  he  fought  them  for  seven  years,  and  beat 
them  in  the  end. 

Yet,  when  I  turn  from  his  genius  and  contem- 
plate his  character,  I  shrink  from  him  as  I  would 
from  a  leper.  If  in  all  the  seventy  years  of  his 
life  he  ever  did  a  good  deed,  if  he  ever  had  a  good 
thought,  I  have  failed  to  find  record  of  it. 

About  the  first  act  of  his  so-called  glorious 
reign  was  to  rob  Austria  of  one  of  her  finest  prov- 
inces. This  had  led  to  seven  years  of  war.  Now, 
old  and  about  to  die,  he  wished  to  conciliate 
Austria  before  passing  off  the  stage  of  action. 
So  he  sent  a  deputation  to  Vienna,  proposing  the 
partition  of  Poland;  guaranteeing  to  Austria  a 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic         247 

valuable  province,  much  more  valuable  than  the 
one  he  had  wrested  from  her.  After  some  hesi- 
tation it  was  acceded  to.  Then  the  question  arose, 
how  will  Russia  regard  it?  So  they  sent  a  depu- 
tation down  to  St.  Petersburg. 

Catherine  the  Second  was  the  empress  of 
Russfa.  All  I  have  said  in  regard  to  Frederick 
the  Great,  I  can  apply  to  this  wonderful  woman. 
In  ability  she  has  never  had  her  equal  upon  the 
Russian  throne;  and  in  my  opinion  but  few  among 
the  world's  great  sovereigns  have  equaled  this 
remarkable  woman.  But  in  character  she  was 
just  as  depraved  as  Frederick  the  Great.  Why 
God  in  his  loving  mercy  permitted  two  such 
sovereigns  to  reign  at  the  same  time,  I  cannot 
understand. 

When  the  proposition  was  made  to  her,  she 
said  she  would  consent  to  it  on  this  condition: 
that  she  was  to  have  a  territory  as  large  as  both 
of  theirs  put  together.  This  was  consented  to, 
and  they  joined  their  armies  together  and  entered 
Poland  and  robbed  her  of  more  than  one  third  of 
her  territory,  while  our  miserable  king  never 
raised  his  arms  to  defend  his  country. 

About  this  time  the  American  Revolution 
occurred,  and  there  came  to  these  shores  two  sons 
of  Poland.  One,  the  young  and  gifted  Pnlaski, 
whose  services  were  so  eminent,  whose  death  so 
sad,  and  yet  glorious,  while  leading  the  soldiers 


248         The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 

of  the  Colonies  at  Savannah ;  where  since  a  grate- 
ful nation  has  erected  upon  the  spot  which  drank 
up  his  rich  blood,  a  monument  that  will  exist  as 
long  as  your  hills  remain,  to  testify  the  apprecia- 
tion and  love  of  a  free  people  for  one  who  died 
for  their  liberty. 

But  of  the  other  I  love  to  speak  the  most. 
Of  all  the  sons  of  Poland,  he  was  the  most  il- 
lustrious. I  have  not  language  fit  to  describe 
him.  The  only  thing  I  can  do  is  what  we  always 
do  in  describing  those  who  are  especially  endowed 
with  patriotism,  virtue,  and  honor;  and  when  we 
wish  to  put  the  capstone  on,  we  say  this,  and  this 
is  enough :  "  He  was  our  Washington."  Of  course 
I  refer  to  Kosciusko.  Coming  to  this  country, 
joining  the  army  of  Washington,  becoming  his 
chief  of  staff,  for  six  years  he  associated  with 
that  great  character;  became  so  imbued  with  his 
spirit  that  when  he  returned  to  Poland  he  entered 
upon  the  work  of  reform  in  his  own  country.  He 
entered  the  Assembly,  he  moved  a  revision  in  the 
constitution  by  striking  out  all  those  absurd 
features  I  have  mentioned;  and  what  I  think  was 
better  than  every  thing  else,  he  provided  that  when 
the  sun  should  rise  on  the  first  day  of  January, 
that  the  shackles  should  fall  from  every  serf,  and 
from  that  moment  every  son  of  Poland  should 
stand  free  before  the  law. 

This  was  accepted  by  the  Polish  people,  but 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic         249 

it  came  just  at  the  period  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tion ;  and  the  sorrounding  nations  declared  that 
they  could  see  germs  of  republicanism  that  en- 
dangered their  own  integrity.  So  again  they  di- 
vided Poland,  still  our  king  not  resisting.  Now 
the  time  had  come  for  Kosciusko  to  act;  so  he 
issued  his  proclamation,  calling  upon  Poland's 
sons  to  rally  to  the  standard  of  the  country  and 
drive  the  foul  invaders  from  her  soil.  Now  began 
the  grandest  and  the  most  terrific  struggle  for 
freedom  the  world  has  ever  seen.  There  could 
be  but  one  ending  of  this  unequal  combat,  and 
it  came  at  last.  In  that  awful  night  of  death, 
where  thirty  thousand  women  and  children  were 
massacred  by  the  German  troops,  amid  the  shout- 
ing of  murderous  soldiers  and  the  shrieking  of 
dying  women  and  children,  the  Republic  of  Po- 
land, after  two  hundred  years  of  existence,  passed 
forever  from  the  view  of  man. 

About  this  time  Napoleon  was  forging  to  the 
front,  and  the  sons  of  Poland  looked  to  him  as 
one  who  would  lead  them  out  to  victory.  So 
they  gathered  around  his  standard,  more  than 
one  hundred  thousand,  under  the  chivalrous  and 
knightly  Poniatowski,  and  in  all  the  campaigns 
of  Napoleon,  in  Italy,  in  Germany,  even  in  Russia, 
they  followed  him.  When  the  men  whom  Napo- 
leon had  taken  from  the  ranks  and  had  made  mar- 
shals, dukes,  princes,  and  kings,  had  deserted 


250         The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 

him,    these   sons   of   Poland   remained   true   and 
loyal  until  the  last  hour  of  Waterloo. 

When  the  Congress  assembled  at  Vienna  in 
1815,  England  lost  her  fine  opportunity.  Eng- 
land was  the  mistress  of  the  world  in  1815.  It 
had  been  England's  pluck,  England's  courage, 
that  had  conquered  the  great  Napoleon  and 
chained  him  as  a  prisoner  to  that  lone  rock  in  the 
sea.  The  Congress  assembled  at  Vienna  for  the 
avowed  purpose  of  readjusting  the  map  of  Europe. 
Now,  if  England  had  only  been  wise,  and  said 
through  her  representative  in  that  assembly: 
"We  have  met  here  for  the  purpose  of  readjusting 
the  map  of  Europe.  Let  us  do  it  in  such  a  way 
that  mankind  can  never  doubt  our  honesty-  let 
us  begin  by  restoring  Poland."  If  she  had  done 
so-,  how  different  would  be  her  position  to-day, 
trembling  as  she  is  before  the  power  of  Russia, 
knowing  that  sooner  or  later  she  must  measure 
swords  with  her,  with  the  result  so  doubtful.  Ah! 
if  England  had  only  been  wise  then,  she,  and  not 
Russia,  would  be  mistress  of  the  East.  But  ap- 
parently desiring  to  apologize  to  the  world,  they 
took  about  one-third  of  what  originally  consti- 
tuted Poland,  erected  that  into  what  they  were 
pleased  to  call  the  Kingdom  of  Poland,  and  de- 
clared that  she  should  have  a  constitution  of  her 
own  and  a  diet  of  her  own,  that  the  emperor  of 
Russia  should  be  the  king  of  Poland,  and  that 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic         251 

he  should  go  to  Warsaw  and  should  there  take 
the  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  constitution.  These 
were  splendid  guarantees,  but  were  never  re- 
spected or  complied  with. 

Fifteen  years  pass  and  we  come  to  the  up- 
rising of  1830.  A  hundred  young  men,  students 
of  the  university,  had  entered  into  a  covenant 
that  they  would  dedicate  their  lives  to  the  regener- 
ation of  Poland.  Coming  into  their  quarters  one 
night,  they  learned  that  the  next  morning  they 
would  all  be  seized  and  hurried  to  Siberia.  Then 
these  young  men  resolved  that  they  would  give 
their  lives  as  costly  as  possible.  They  immed- 
iately came  out  of  their  quarters  and  proceeded 
to  the  barracks,  where  three  thousand  Polish 
troops  were  quartered.  Arriving  there,  they 
shouted:  "Down  with  the  standard  of  Russia, 
and  up  with  the  standard  of  Poland/' 

The  troops  fraternized  with  them.  They  then 
marched  up  into  the  city,  shouting:  " Women 
to  homes,  and  men  to  arms;"  and  within  six 
hours  from  the  time  that  those  young  men  first 
raised  their  shout  of  defiance,  a  battle  had  been 
fought,  a  brilliant  victory  had  been  won,  and  the 
viceroy  and  Russians  had  been  expelled  from 
Warsaw. 

When  the  sun  rose  the  next  morning  and 
looked  down  upon  that  city,  what  a  sight  greeted 
it!  Only  twelve  hours  before  it  had  gone  down 


252         The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 

upon  a  people  apparently  sleeping  in  the  embrace 
of  death.  Now  it  was  greeted  by  a  hundred 
thousand  men  and  women,  marching  through  the 
streets  singing,  their  patriotic  songs,  and  waving 
their  national  flag.  It  was  not  a  nation  born  in  a 
day,  but  a  nation  resurrected  in  a  night. 

But  the  patriots  made  a  mistake  right  at  the 
beginning,  by  listening  to  the  counsel  of  the  con- 
servatives. The  conservatives  advised  them  not 
to  strike  then,  or  rather,  not  to  follow  up  the  suc- 
cesses already  won,  until  they  first  appealed  to  the 
sovereigns  of  Europe  and  reminded  them  of  their 
guarantees  at  Vienna;  and  to  appeal  to  their 
knightly  honor  to  do  justice  to  Poland;  just  as 
though  any  sovereigns  ever  had  any  knightly 
honor.  There  has  never  been  a  case  of  it  since 
the  days  of  Nimrod,  clean  down  to  that  last  poor 
remnant  of  royalty  that  is  floating  around  some- 
where, the  ex -Queen  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 
But  of  course  an  appeal  to  wait  is  always  a  taking 
one,  and  the  appeal  was  an  eloquent  one.  It 
spoke  of  the  past  glories  of  Poland ;  it  reminded 
them  of  the  seven  hundred  years  that  Poland  had 
stood  as  a  protector  of  Europe  against  the  powers 
of  Mohammed;  reminded  them  of  Vienna,  when 
all  Europe  was  in  dismay;  how  Poland's  king  and 
Poland's  armies  had  saved  Europe  from  Moham- 
medan conquest;  reminded  them  of  the  damning 
deed  by  which  it  had  originally  been  stricken 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic        253 

from  the  map  of  the  world;  reminded  them  of 
their  guarantees  but  fifteen  years  before;  and 
now  appealed  to  them  that  they  would  deal 
justly  with  Poland.  But  alas!  alas!  or  rather 
in  the  language  of  Campbell,  the  poet: 

"France  was  under  the  Bourbon  thrall; 
And  the  rest  of  Europe  had  no  soul  at  all." 

So  Poland  learned  that  alone  she  must  fight 
her  own  battles. 

In  this  lecture  I  will  only  describe  the  great 
battle  of  that  uprising,  the  battle  of  Warsaw.  It 
was  fought  on  February  25th,  1831.  The  Russian 
army  numbered  one  hundred  and  forty-five  thous- 
and infantry,  sixty-seven  thousand  cavalry,  and 
three  hundred  pieces  of  artillery;  while  the  Polish 
army  numbered  but  forty-five  thousand  all  told, 
not  one-half  of  them  properly  armed,  and  with 
but  twelve  pieces  of  artillery.  Yet,  in  a  battle 
of  twelve  hours  they  utterly  defeated  the  mighty 
host  of  Russia,  showing  how  mighty  are  men  who 
fight  for  liberty,  as  against  those  who  fight  for 
despotism.  &fencroit 

In  the  morning,  just  before  the  battle  opened, 
the  commander  found  that  they  were  short  of 
ammunition,  and  the  men  were  instructed  to 
make  all  of  their  powder  and  lead  tell.  A  regi- 
ment of  students — twelve  hundred,  students  of 
the  University  of  Warsaw — commanded  by  my 
uncle,  himself  a  student,  answering  for  his  men, 


254         The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 

said:  "Others  can  have  our  ammunition."  They 
discarded  their  pieces  and  drew  spears  instead, 
and  in  that  battle  of  twelve  hours  they  constant- 
ly charged  and  charged  and  charged.  And  when 
night  came,  out  of  twelve  hundred  that  the  morn- 
ing sun  had  found  so  warm,  brave,  and  grand, 
but  twenty  remained  alive.  The  others  had 
gone  down  with  their  faces  to  the  foe,  dying  so 
nobly,  that  Poland  might  be  free.  A  grander 
exhibition  of  devotion  the  world  has  never  seen, 
not  even  excepting  the  ancient  Spartans. 

The  battle  opened  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing by  the  Russian  right  of  sixty  thousand  at- 
tacking the  Polish  left  of  ten  thousand.  At  ten 
o'clock  the  Russian  commander,  seeing  he  was 
getting  the  worst  of  it,  ordered  the  attack  along 
the  whole  line;  and  from  ten  o'clock  until  four 
o'clock  those  sons  of  the  North  struggled  for  the 
mastery.  Just  as  the  sun  was  sinking  in  the  west 
the  Russian  troops  had  been  driven  from  the 
field  and  compelled  to  take  shelter  in  the  forest 
beyond.  Wishing  to  draw  them  out  where  they 
could  get  a  better  opportunity  to  attack  them 
again,  the  Polish  commander  feigned  a  retreat. 
The  feint  was  a  success. 

The  Russian  commander,  drawing  out  his 
watch  said:  "After  this  day  of  blood  and  of 
horror,  I  will  take  supper  to-night  in  the  palace 
of  Villanow." 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic         255 

He  now  ordered  his  troops  to  advance  again, 
and  when  they  reached  the  open  field  they  were 
again  unexpectedly  attacked,  and  the  attack  was 
so  fierce  that  the  Russian  troops  became  panic- 
sticken,  and  fled  from  the  field.  But  that  night 
when  the  remnant  of  the  Polish  army  re-entered 
the  city,  out  of  forty-five  thousand  that  the  army 
had  been  composed  of  in  the  morning,  less  than 
eight  thousand  remained. 

But  after  a  few  more  battles,  in  which  the 
Polish  patriots  showed  unparalleled  bravery  and 
devotion  to  their  country,  the  inevitable  came, 
and  again  Poland  found  herself  at  the  mercy  of 
the  nineteenth  century.  Nicholas  the  First  of 
Russia  now  began  acts  of  oppression  that  the 
world  shuddered  at  as  it  contemplated  them. 
When  the  slaves  in  the  reign  of  Nero  arose  in  re- 
bellion after  their  suppression,  he  executed  three 
thousand  of  them,  and  that  shocked  the  whole 
heathen  world.  But  Nicholas  the  First  of  Russia 
executed  more  than  twelve  thousand.  There  was 
hardly  a  day  of  that  awful  month  of  November, 
and  hardly  a  town  in  that  unfortunate  country, 
but  men  whose  only  crime  had  been  that  they 
had  tried  to  make  their  country  free,  could  be 
seen  marching  forth  to  die  upon  the  scaffold. 

We  pass  on  now  for  fifteen  years,  and  come  to 
the  uprising  of  1846.  It  was  intended  as  a  part  of 
the  great  uprising  which  took  place  two  years 


256         The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 

afterward  throughout  all  of  Europe;  but  the  spies 
of  Russia  precipitated  the  contest:  so  it  was  not 
a  great  uprising,  but  it  was  a  brave  one.  In  the 
last  battle  of  that  contest,  my  father,  wounded, 
was  taken  prisoner,  and  conveyed  to  the  prison 
near  Warsaw,  where  he  was  afterward  executed. 

We  will  now  pass  on  until  1863.  Again  Po- 
land's sons  made  a  strike  for  liberty.  An  ad- 
dress was  issued  to  the  entire  civilized  world, 
asking  for  their  sympathy  and  support.  But  of 
all  the  powers  of  Europe,  Napoleon  the  Third  of 
France  alone  showed  any  disposition  of  sympathy, 
and  the  result  was  in  as  preceding  struggles, — an 
exhibition  of  wonderful  heroism  and  sacrifice,— 
but  the  ending  was  the  same.  Poland,  bleeding 
and  crushed,  lay  again  at  the  feet  of  Russia.  A 
decree  was  now  issued,  which  wiped  the  very 
name  of  Poland  from  the  map  of  Europe ;  even  the 
viceroy  ship  was  abolished,  and  Poland  was  com- 
pletely absorbed  as  a  part  of  the  great  empire  of 
Russia. 

I  am  often  asked,  "What  is  the  condition  of 
Poland  to-day?" 

I  answer,  most  deplorable. 

As  an  illustration  of  this,  I  will  give  an  inci- 
dent which  occured  a  few  years  ago  at  the  house 
of  one  of  the  nobles  in  Warsaw.  There  was  a 
party  one  evening  at  this  house.  A  young  lady 
of  sixteen  went  up  to  the  piano  and  dashed  off  a 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic         257 

prohibited  national  air.  As  soon  as  the  attention 
of  the  company  was  called  to  it,  she  was  stopped 
and  chided,  as  they  knew,  however  small  the 
party,  the  Russian  spy  would  not  be  far  away. 

The  next  morning  before  she  had  risen  from 
her  bed,  a  detachment  of  soldiers  entered,  bat- 
tering down  the  door  of  her  room.  She  was 
ordered  to  arise  and  dress  herself  and  follow  them  ; 
and  was  compelled  to  dress  herself  in  the  presence 
of  the  brutal  soldiers,  and  barely  time  for  that. 
She  was  conveyed  to  a  Russian  magistrate,  and 
this  crime  I  have  given  was  computed  against 
her.  She  confessed  the  fault  and  pleaded  for 
mercy,  and  her  plea  was  supplemented  by  that 
of  her  mother.  The  old  Russian  magistrate  said, 
in  consideration  of  her  extreme  youth,  and  as 
this  was  her  first  offense,  he  would  deal  leniently 
with  her;  but  warned  her  against  a  repetition. 
He  ordered  her  to  be  taken  to  the  guard-house 
and  kept  there  till  high  noon,  and  then  to  be 
taken  to  the  market  place,  and  there  be  stripped 
to  the  waist  and  receive  upon  her  bare  back  the 
lash  of  the  knout  thirty  times,  from  the  effects 
of  which  she  died  some  days  afterward;  and  for 
this  act  the  magistrate  was  complimented  by 
the  emperor,  and  promoted. 

And  the  question  is  often  asked:  "But  are 
there  not  hopes  for  the  future,  as  Russia  advances 
in  Christian  civilization?'' 


258         The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Republic 

There  can  be  no  improvement  until  there  first 
comes  such  a  gigantic  upheaval,  that  the  upheaval 
in  France  during  the  days  of  the  Revolution  will 
be  mildness  in  comparison. 

How  wonderfully  interesting  is  the  struggle 
of  mankind  for  liberty,  beginning  way  back  there 
when  Jesus  said  to  his  disciples:  "Ye  are  men 
and  brethren."  That's  the  first  we  get  anywhere 
of  the  enunciation  of  that  great  principle  of  the 
Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brotherhood  of  man. 
Of  all  the  words  spoken  by  the  great  Nazarene, 
none  have  proved  mightier  than  that  utterance. 
From  that  moment  to  this  there  has  never  been 
a  moment  when  the  idea  of  liberty  has  ever  quitted 
the  heart  or  the  brain  of  man.  Down  through 
the  dark  ages  this  idea  of  liberty  constantly  flashes 
out  like  sparks  of  electricity  in  the  awful  gloom  of 
those  days,  until  we  see  the  yeomen  of  England, 
led  on  by  their  barons,  wringing  from  King  John 
the  Great  Charter;  again  in  the  establishemnt  of 
the  Polish  Republic  we  see  this  principle  largely 
recognized;  the  next  in  the  English  Revolution, 
when  the  grand  old  Cromwell  brought  the  head 
of  the  tyrant  Charles  to  the  block,  and  taught 
the  world  a  lesson  that  it  has  never  forgotten — 
that  tyrants  should  never  rule  with  impunity. 

From  this  time  the  idea  of  liberty  now  grew 
grandly  apace.  Next  it  blazed  out  in  beauty  and 
glory  on  the  borders  of  the  American  forests,  when 


The  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Polish  Rt  public         259 

the  great  Jefferson,  writing  with  the  pen  of  in- 
spiration, wrote:  "We  hold  this  truth  to  be 
self-evident:  that  all  men  are  created  equal." 
This  principle,  vindicated  in  the  success  of  the 
American  Revolution,  vindicated  in  the  establish- 
ment of  this  republic  upon  that  idea,  then  leaped 
across  the  water  to  the  old  world.  Then  began 
the  struggle  of  a  century  for  liberty.  Battles  have 
been  fought,  victories  have  been  won,  reverses 
have  been  suffered,  but  still  this  idea  of  liberty 
goes  on;  and  it  will  go  on  until  that  great  utterance 
of  the  Master  is  fully  realized,  and  believed  in  by 
men.  Then  men  wrill  understand  that  there  is 
110  such  thing  as  race  or  nationality;  that  we  all 
belong  to  one  great  family,  having  the  same  origin 
and  bound  for  the  same  destiny.  When  that 
blessed  day  shall  come,  then  crowrns  and  thrones 
will  be  a  thing  of  the  past;  wars  will  cease  from 
off  the  face  of  the  earth ;  then  will  come  the  blessed 
day  of  peace,  liberty,  and  fraternity. 


260  King  John  Sobieski,  1683 


KING  JOHN  SOBIESKI,   1683, 

BY  DAISY  HUBBARD  CARLOCK 

Splendid  is  the  tent  of  Kara, 

vSilken,  broidered  thick  with  gold ; 
Set  with  Orient  gems  whose  luster 

Gleams  from  every  wind-swung  fold. 
Vast  and  mighty  is  the  army 

Camped  before  Vienna's  gates; 
Crescent-shaped,  the  horde  of  Mongols, 

Sure  of  triumph,  calmly  waits. 
Leopold  has  fled  before  them, 

Scarce  escaping  with  his  life; 
Court  and  nobles  quickly  follow, 

Fearful  of  the  coming  strife. 
Far  around  the  royal  city, 

Smoke  ascends  from  Hungary's  plain 
Where  were  town  and  peasant  cottage, 

Blackened  ruins  now  remain. 
Who  will  hasten  to  deliver 

From  the  proud  invader's  might? 
Surely  God  will  hear  his  people, 

Turn  their  darkness  into  light! 
Lo, — from  Poland    comes  the  rescue, 

Sobieski  leads  the  van; 
WTarrior-king  and  Europe's  savior, 

Patriot-prince  and  noble  man! 
"Not  Vienna,  but  Christ's  kingdom 

Do  we  fight  this  day  to  save," — • 
This  the  watch-word  Sobieski 

To  his  valiant  legions  gave. 
"Not  for  earthly  monarchs  strike  we, 

But  for  Christ,  the  King  of  kings."  ' 
"Sobieski,"  shout  the  soldiers, 

And  the  air  with  tumult  rings. 
Dreaded  name,  that  to  the  foemen, 

Terror  brings  and  dire  dismay; 
For  in  many  a  well-fought  battle 


Colonel  John  Sobieski,  1892  261 

Has  he  held  their  hosts  at  bay. 
Forward  dashes  Sobieski! 

"Allah!"  cries  the  Turkish  chief, 
"Surely  now  their  king  is  with  them;" 

Sharp  the  conflict  is  and  brief. 
Six  pashas  are  slain  'ere  evening, 

Kara  and  his  khans  have  fled 
From  the  field  where  lie  the  thousands 

Of  his  conquered  army — dead. 
On  the  roll  of  earth's  great  heroes, 

Who  have  won  undying  fame, 
Graven  in  light  shines  "Sobieski," 

Brave  and  true,  a  glorious  name. 

II 
COLONEL  JOHN  SOBIESKI,  1S(J2. 

Where  Missouri's  stream  is  flowing 

O'er  the  prairies  of  the  West, 
Where  the  Mississippi's  borders 

With  the  flowers  of  Spring  are  drest, 
Sobieski's  name  is  chosen 

On  our  banners  to  be  borne. 
Let  us  rally  round  our  standard, 

Praying  for  the  coming  morn, 
When  with  victory  on  our  pennons, 

Men  have  heeded  the  command, 
"Strike  for  God  and  free  His  people, 

Save  your  homes  and  native  land." 
Not  alone  in  ancient  story 

Are  the  world's  great  lessons  taught; 
Not  alone  on  fields  of  carnage 

Are  the  grandest  victories  wrought; 
If  we  count  "earth's"  chosen  heroes, 

Those  whose  lives  have  been  sublime, 
Men  whose  principles  make  impress 

On  the  record  of  their  time, 
They  are  men,  who,  seeing  Duty, 

Tread  its  path  nor  backward  turn, 
"Buy  the  truth"  and  sell  it  never, ; 


262  Colonel  John  Sobieski, 


Teach  what  they  through  trial  learn. 
In  this  age  of  great  achievement, 

Men  are  needed  who  will  stand 
'Gainst  the  hosts  of  sin  and  ruin 

Threatening  to  destroy  the  land. 
When  a  Cathaginian  army 

Marched  victorious  on  to  Rome 
And  the  baffled  Romans  gathered 

To  defend  their  seven-hilled  home, 
Faith  in  Rome  was  so  triumphant, 

That  the  soil  outside  the  wall, 
Trampled  then  by  feet  of  foemen 

Waiting  for  the  city's  fall, 
Sold  at  auction  in  the  Forum, 

Brought  its  price  in  Tuscan  gold; 
And  this  tale  of  faith  undaunted 

Through  the  centuries  has  been  told. 
Let  us  doubt  not  Truth  will  triumph, 

They  must  win  who  side  with  right, 
"No  surrender"  be  our  watchword, 

God  is  King,  and  Truth  is  might. 
"Not  our  own,  but  His  the  glory," 

As  of  old,  cried  Poland's  king, 
Sobieski  still  is  leading, 

And  the  Lord  will  victory  bring 


